If only he was real and my man đđđť
Title: Falling Into Place
Pairing: Shinichiro x Reader
Summary: A few misfortunate and fortunate events lead to you dating the leader of the Black Dragon. It turns out itâs not so bad. | Genre: Fluff | Warning: Bullying, some light angst | Words: 17.3K
âAre we going to make one for Sano as well?â
Your hand that had just put your school shoes into your shoe locker paused briefly. Â
When you came into the hallway to change your shoes, you did notice several girls from the B-class standing together and talking about something. Still, you did your best to ignore them, hoping they wouldnât see you. You wished it was that easy. You wouldnât bother them, and they would leave you alone, but you werenât always that lucky.
You knew some of them from elementary and middle school, and it seemed with every year you were unfortunate enough to end up in the same school as them, theyâve only gotten worse. Even those you didnât know personally growing up, you still knew to some extent. If only because they were all the same.
Mean, untrustworthy followers with obnoxious giggles.Â
You were grateful that now in high school, you, at the very least, were lucky enough to end up in the A-class where it seemed the girls were much nicer or at least not as much under the influence of one girl in particular. The girl that was the sole reason you paid attention to what they were about to say, sensing something shitty and shady was coming.
âWhat? Sano?â asked the girl in that sweet voice you long since knew was just an act, just as everything else about her, âWell, I would love to. But I donât support delinquents!â she even added a little giggle at the end, causing some of the other girls who were standing around her to laugh as well. You rolled your eyes at her fake kindness.
âI guess he will just remain a loser for Valentineâs Day too,â said another one of your classmates just as you closed your locker shut, sparking another outburst of giggles from some of the girls and for you to frown even if you didnât say anything and instead left so you didnât have to be in the presence of those girls a moment longer.
âGoodbye, y/n-chan. Have a nice day,â called that girl with her sweet voice after you, and you had no choice but to wave at her and mumble a goodbye. You heard her comment on it. Something like thatâs okay. Sheâs shy like that, and you force yourself to continue to walk, hoping you would be out of her mind, too, if you were out of her sight.
Stepping outside the school and breathing the fresh air you didnât have to share with that girl and her followers was soul-cleansing.
You supposed everyone experienced a girl like that every once in their lives. Someone who always gathered a following and admiration from girls and boys alike. She always seemed to have it all together, a good and secure family, lots of friends, exciting experiences and vacations, and good grades, and everyone seemed to buy into her sweet persona. Everyone but you, it seemed.
This girl was like that ever since you knew her, and as shameful as it was to admit it yourself, it did take you a couple of years to correctly figure it out and see her for who she really was.
Before, you supposed you were one of her followers or at least getting there until, for some reason, she decided to exclude you from the group and make you a target instead. She had to have a reason. She had a reason for everything she did, but you never really understood why. Either way, you always told yourself you were better off especially given what you just heard.
Now, every time you heard or noticed another one of the mean tricks, she liked to pull on people unfortunate enough to simply met her in life, you couldnât help but think about all those things she did before, even those you didnât think were all that mean or cruel at the time, in a new light.
Are we going to make one for Sano?
No way!
Those words and that obnoxious giggle haunted you all the way home as you recalled your past experiences with that girl.
You knew what she was planning since something similar already took place in middle school. Back then, you two were classmates, and you naively believed friends because of how friendly and sweet she was. She suggested you and your female classmates should bake giri choco (obligatory chocolates) for every boy in your class so they wouldnât feel excluded if they didnât have anyone who wanted to confess to them.
Back then, it sounded like such a nice gesture. You really admired her for being such a good person. Of course, all the other girls agreed, and you all baked chocolates and handed them out on Valentineâs Day.
Everyone was happy and praised her for how nice and thoughtful she was to suggest such an idea. Even the teachers seemed impressed. You were impressed. Even if some of you were slightly disappointed since that was the year you tried to gather the courage to make chocolate for your crush. The friendly and funny boy who lived two houses from you and used to play with you behind his house. You liked him a lot and for a really long time, and you were hopeful that he might like you back. In the end, even if you couldnât confess that year, you were glad to see so many people were in a good mood, and you took part in making it happen. It really boosted your self-esteem and made you giddy.
And besides, you told yourself, there was always next year. You werenât going to be selfish after all.
Then a month later came White Day, and the boys, following the girlsâ example, gave out white chocolates and other sweets to every single girl except for you.
You were shocked and humiliated, waiting for every single break until the last one when you would find something on your desk or your school bag, only to be crushed when you were the only one left without any gift at the end of the day. You didnât understand it. Sure, you werenât confident or naĂŻve enough to expect a confession from your crush or anyone else. Still, at the very least, you did expect a reciprocate chocolate like all your classmates.
Your self-esteem and mood hit their lowest by the end of the school day when everyone talked about what they got and played a guessing game of which boy gave out their sweets, only for you to put your shoes on with a red face and tears threatening to break out of your eyes. You remembered being so confused, hurt, mortified, and upset.
As if the cruel fate wasnât done with you just yet, that girl pointed out how weird it was and told you not to be sad that you âwere the only oneâ who didnât get anything loud enough for every girl to hear and take pity on you.
At that moment, just as some girls patted your back or tried to hug you, reassuring you not to feel too bad about it, you saw that girlâs tiny smile. You thought it was cruel of her to smile when you were this upset. It was the first time you thought of her as anything other than a sweet and good person and friend.
It wasnât until graduation that one of your classmates said she asked around and heard that someone spread the word that you didnât participate in giving out the chocolate and, therefore, shouldnât get any on White Day. By then, you were a target of some other jokes, so you already knew what that girl was all about and that she was behind this all.
It wasnât the first time you heard about something that girl was planning. Although you knew it was shitty of her, you werenât the type to tell on her, fearing what she might do to hurt you if she found out. You already ended up as her target a few times, and it was soul-crushing, to say the least.
At times, you often wished you were someone else. Someone braver who could stand up to her and who others would believe, but even in your fantasies, you more often than not allowed insecurities and self-doubt to win, imagining everyone calling you a liar and taking her side.
Sighing, you knew there wasnât anything you could do. Not really, at least.
But...Sano-san will be hurt if heâs the only one without chocolate.
It shouldnât bother you all that much.
You didnât know Sano that well, apart from living in the same area and often ending up in the same schools. You two were always in different classes. You probably never even spoke directly to each other. You had a faded memory that you and a few other kids played tag together, but by then, you couldnât even be sure about that.
And he was a delinquent. Everyone knew he was a part of the Black Dragon, their leader, so that should have been an immediate red flag that he wasnât a good person, and everyone should stay away, butâŚÂ
You found yourself chewing on your lips nervously while walking home, taking the extended tour to gather your thoughts a bit.
Remember how much it sucked when you were excluded from something?
You crossed your arms, hoping you wouldnât start to cry about something that happened back in middle school now, and instead thought about what you could do, missing the increasing sound of an approaching motorcycle.
âHey, look out!â someone called. Before you knew it, you were pulled toward something solid and warm simultaneously as something fast and loud speeded by your ear, causing you to cower even more into the warmth, fearing you would get hit.
âFucker!â you heard a male curse close to your other ear. You blinked a couple of times before glancing up, only to find Sano Shinichiro frowning at something in front of him.
You were stunned and confused, wondering if you mentally somehow brought the boy to your path by thinking about him and what that girl was planning so hard, only to realize that you were extremely close to him. In fact, given the pressure you felt around your shoulders and the warmth against your chest, side, and belly that seemed to pay no attention to the fact that you still had your uniform on, you realized he was holding you. You were in his arms.
âS-Sano-san, w-what-what-?â you stuttered, feeling your face grow red at the realization that Sano Shinichiro, a boy, this boy, was holding you against his chest with his body pressed into yours and his face so close you could count his eyelashes if you wanted to.
His dark eyes blinked, and before you could finish your questions, they were on you, and well, they were dark.
Your own eyes blinked, and your words drifted into silence as you were met with his gaze for the first time, noticing that Sano Shinichiroâs eyes were really dark. It wasnât uncommon to have dark eyes in this country, but for some reason, you couldnât help but think you didnât often see dark eyes that were so pretty.
Upon meeting yours, that frown that was causing his brows to furrow and wrinkles over his forehead smoothed out, and his dark eyes obtained a very soft look.
Handsome, your mind supplied. Sano Shinichiro was lovely when he had this soft look inside his pretty dark eyes.
âAre you alright?â he asked, and once again, you could only blink, feeling out of character with yourself over what was happening, âW-what?â
âHe was driving like a maniac. He almost caught you that close to the sidewalk,â he said, and you blinked again, taking his words and their meaning in realizing he probably saved you from the potential harm of some reckless driver. You wouldnât even see it coming.
âOh, thank you,â you said and felt the shock sustaining only for embarrassment and self-awareness to catch on, âUh,â you swallowed, worried your face was as red as a tomato before you finally said, âYou can let me go now.â
That soft look disappeared as his eyes widened twice their size, and Sano pushed you away from him so fast you felt a bit hurt, âS-sorry, I didnât mean to⌠I swear Iâm notâŚlike that!â
You pushed your personal feelings aside, realizing he probably was worried you would think he was a pervert for holding you that long. Not to mention you took pity on him knowing how often you worried what people might think about you, âItâs alright. You still saved my life, I think. Thank you.â
He reached to the back of his head and scratched his neck, looking really shy and uncomfortable now, âItâs fine. Iâm glad youâre alright, y/l/n.â
You raised your eyebrows, unable to hide your surprise, âYou know my name?â
Sano dark eyes shifted to your face again, âOf course, weâve been in the same school since kindergarten. Never in the same class, though. Itâs a bit funny,â he chuckled, and a relaxed smile took hold of his face.
It suits him.
âYes, strange,â you said, momentarily hypnotized by him. It was the first time you spoke to one another, engaged in contact, and overall shared an experience which must have been why it felt so odd.
You straightened yourself and fixed your school uniform, trying to gain some composure, âWell, have a nice day. I need to go home.â
It wasnât the whole truth, but you didnât know how to end the moment like this.
Sano didnât seem to mind offering you another smile and a lazy but calm goodbye wave. Despite his reputation, he had a relaxed and positive aura around him. One you couldnât seem to escape either.
âHey, you did?â asked Sano and snatched some bags out of the hands of someone who must have been in the same gang as him even if that person didnât even ask him to, âI was thinking about your problem and maybeâŚ.â
He and his friend got too far for you to hear, but it all still left an impact, wondering if you shouldnât have warned him.
Wouldnât you be more prepared if someone warned you that you were about to be singled out on White Day? Wouldnât you somehow manage to skip school just to avoid the humiliation and spare some of your feelings? Wouldnât you be grateful that you still had at least one ally despite everything?
You were too much of a coward to come up to Sano and tell him what that girl was planning to do. You couldnât leave a note because there might be a chance that he would show it to someone and recognize your handwriting. He might have been a delinquent, but you knew about his failed attempts at confessing and how heavily he was ridiculed about it behind his back. You doubted even someone like him would manage to survive a mocking from that girl. In your mind, you couldnât imagine anyone would.
You didnât realize you stayed in the same spot looking at him until he turned around and looked back right at you.
Shocked, you realized it would seem like you were watching him leave, which you were, but not because you were just caught up in your thoughts.
About him⌠but not like THAT!
You turned around and ran, hoping you could save your face at least a little bit.
It really isnât your problem. You barely know him, and heâs a delinquent. The Leader of Black Dragons.
You stopped yourself since you felt you were being unfair and lying to yourself a bit.
It was hard to explain because his gang friends did partake in the usual activities of minor vandalism, petty crimes, and other delinquent activities; you couldnât help but think Sano was a decent enough guy. You did see him around the neighborhood. A delinquent or not, you did notice he was friendly to locals, caring, always asking them about their day and sparing precious time humoring them with a chat.
You knew he had three younger siblings he often dealt with and took care of and a grandfather who ran a dojo and was well respected and liked around.
You just couldnât really label him a just delinquent, not when you could recall so many instances when he was more than that. And this was without you two being friends or talking. Something told you he might be a really good person.
 BesidesâŚhe just saved your life, knew your name, and he was-
-your mind supplied the image of his relaxed smile and the soft look in his dark eyes-
Nice.
Like so nice!
Talking to him gave you a comfortable warmth even if you were struggling with your dilemma.
I didnât deserve to be excluded like that, and neither does Sano, you decided.
Seeing no other option, you came to your kitchen and pulled out some recipe book making Sano Shinichiro homemade chocolate.
Ridiculous, you kept on telling yourself.
It was ridiculous that because of the whole mess in middle school, you were never brave enough to actually make chocolate for your crush. Even an obligatory one that couldnât be used against you, but here you were working on Sanoâs. It must have been the near-death experience and him being your hero with dark eyes-
Donât think about it! You warned yourself. You were crushing on your classmate, a goodhearted and sweet boy who had lived two houses from your own since middle school, and one of these years, you would have the courage to confess to him or move on. Just because Sano wasnât so bad didnât mean he was as good as your crush, and crushing on more than one person seemed selfish, right?
But you finished, and based on some testing, the chocolate turned out pretty good. Definitely even better than when you were in middle school.
You saved my life, Sano-san. Now weâre even.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Â
You planned to come to school early and drop the chocolate into Sanoâs shoe locker, hoping even delinquents checked those before rushing away. No one would see you. No one would know. Sano would have chocolate just like everyone else. That girlâs malice plan would fail, and you would perhaps gain some good karma for your troubles, maybe in the form of your crush speaking with you on his own for once.
You were pretty sure about your plan, thinking it was more or less bulletproof, making sure not to look too interested in the news that those lovely girls from 3-B gave everyone chocolate up until your lunch break. Mentally, you praised yourself for executing such a rescue mission.
You knew something was up when you heard some of the boys who were eating by their desks whispering about something.
âYou know, y/n-chan,â started that girl later that day, suddenly appearing by your desk without her usual flock of girls as her entourage.
By all those years you spent in her presence, you knew this meant she was about to do something she didnât want anyone to witness, and even if you tried to be brave, it made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
You offered her your most disinterested face as you turned toward her smiling one you once thought was so pretty but now knew for a fact was just her being malice, âYou should only give chocolate to people you like or everyone. Itâs rather cruel to bring Sano-sanâs hopes up like that.â
Your façade cracked as you frowned at the girl gathering some courage, even if not nearly as much as you would have liked, âCrueler than excluding him simply because you think you have some imaginary power?â
âWell, itâs not my fault Sano-san is involved with gangs and such. Actions have consequences, and acting in such a way can really cause a person to be excluded, you know?â she asked, looking as sweet as honey. Still, you were pretty sure she wasnât talking just about Sano.
You watched her for a while before she giggled, âBut thatâs not the point, you know? You shouldnât give chocolate to people you donât like, y/n-chan. If you were going to single someone out. Wouldnât you have picked someone else?â
She watched you like she knew a secret, which you thought was impossible because you never spoke or hinted that you were crushing on your classmate, your crush, even when you were friends.
She doesnât know. Sheâs just being her usual self, trying to get under my skin.Â
But then she giggled and looked ahead, and as much as you hated it, your eyes followed as well. There were three boys standing in front of another of your classmateâs desks, so you could have been looking at anyone, but when your eyes moved back, she was already looking at you like a canary who caught the mice, âItâs not very nice to get someoneâs hopes up.â
You thought that was rather ominous and feared retaliation. Still, when she didnât say anything else and gave you a friendly wave, you could only watch her leave with a sinking heart before your gazes returned to your crush.
Your nerves were getting the best of you, and your imagination created all sorts of scenarios about what she could have planned for you. When you received a note in your shoe locker at the end of the day, you didnât even bother reading it and immediately tossed it into the trash.
Come and meet me behind the east wall after class.
As if!
Like hell, you were stupid enough to be left anywhere without witnesses now.
You instead rushed home, watching your back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, you ensured you never had to use the bathroom by sipping as little water as possible. And made sure you were always supervised during class during breaks. It worked since you sprinted down to your shoe lock after class only to find another note.
Come and meet me behind the east wall after class.Â
Was she seriously trying to do the same thing twice? Well, she did use the same thing she tried in middle school on Valentineâs Day, so it was possible she wasnât above repeating some things. But it did leave you puzzled.
Itâs a trickâŚright?
Surely, her plan was to get you alone, and you were too cautious to fall for that. You tossed the message away and rushed home repeating everything you did yesterday, except this time, just as you were discussing if you could take a sip of some water, Sano Shinichiro appeared in your classroom, causing some of the boys to bow to him before he stopped by your desk with that relaxed smile on his face, âWhat will it take for you to come to meet me behind the east wall after the damn class?â
Your eyes widened, and your mouth parted, âT-that was you?â
Sano blinked, and a slight wrinkle appeared across his face as he frowned, unclear if he was confused or upset, âWho else did you think it was?â
Your eyes betrayed you once again, only this time your gaze followed to the door to your classroom, where one of the followers always waited to see if you would leave the roomâs safety.
When you saw out of the corner of your eyes that Sano did the same, the girl quickly cowered away. She might have been brave enough to laugh behind his back. Still, just like many other people, she took the fact that Sano was a gang leader seriously enough not to get at odds with him.
It wasnât the first time you noticed one of the girls from 3-B came to your classroom in the last two days, and you were still unsure what she planned to do if you decided to leave the room, but you didnât like that she would now go report back to her leader and the other girls.
âHey,â a warm palm suddenly appeared on your shoulder, bringing you back to the moment, âAre you alright?â
His frown was smoothed out, but it appeared there was something close to concern in his dark eyes as they traveled through your face trying to read you.
âYes,â you lied, unsure how to explain to someone like Sano what was happening.
He watched you for a second longer as if giving you time to come clean which you couldnât before he took a deep breath and nodded, taking his hand off you, âBehind the east wall after class. Be there, or Iâll come to your house.â
You blinked and leaned away, startled by that idea, âDonât say stuff like that. Itâs creepy.â
He blinked before he brushed the back of his head, looking sheepish, âI just meant... Just be there, alright?â
You decided to give him a break and nodded, âI will,â your gaze shifted toward the door again, but the girl didnât return, âBe there on time, please.â
âI will. No worries,â he assured you with ease, but you genuinely believed him for some reason. You didnât know much about delinquents besides the rumors and bad reputation, but you assumed that for someone to become a gang leader, they had to be strong and responsible on some level.
You watched Sano leave, wondering what he could want to talk about. Did the girls tell him he wasnât supposed to get chocolate, and he wanted to thank you? Did they steal it, and he never got it? But you were sure you heard all the boys got it this year from 3-BâŚ, so what gives?
 You changed your shoes and met Sano behind the east wall, where he greeted you with that relaxed smile and sincere look behind his eyes. Oddly, whatever worries you had about what he could possibly want, melted away, at least until he opened his mouth.
âI brought you this,â he said. Suddenly, he pushed a white desert box and a plushie of your favorite animal into your arms, âI should have waited for March, I know, but I really couldnât.â
Your eyes blinked as he carried on looking like a nervous wreck with the trembling, rambling, and rubbing of the back of his head messing his styled hair, âYou were truly thoughtful, and I feltâŚI still feel really shitty that I didnât ask you out myself first.â
Strange. He looks nothing like a gang leader now, you thought to yourself, realizing that the corners of your mouth lifted.
You opened your mouth and tried to speak as his words started to make sense, âMy captains would riot if they knew their leader didnât make the first move. Damn, itâs so uncool. I asked like twenty girls, and I should haveâŚI should have asked you instead. Pathetic,â he cursed at himself before his dark eyes widened, and he quickly clarified, âIâm pathetic, not you. You⌠youâre sweet and great.â
You raised your brows, finally managing a âYou donât really know me-â in between his speech, but Sano didnât waste time and quickly said, âI asked around about you.â
Somehow that was like a punch into the stomach that knocked all the air out of you as you suddenly realized what was happening and who was behind this.
You dropped the items in a moment of recklessness and covered Sanoâs mouth with your palm, dread creeping into your heart and goosebumps covering your skin, âDid the girls in your class tell you about me? You canât trust them⌠theyâreâŚtheyâŚ.they play games, and donât like me.â
Sanoâs dark eyes widened a fraction before they dropped, seemingly looking at your palm on his mouth.
Startled, you pulled it away and stepped back, âThey justâŚÂ donât like me.â
Sano frowned a bit, seemingly confused, âThey said nice things about you.â
You looked away and sighed, wondering why did you bother in the first place. No guy would understand, âTrust me,â you said and crossed your arms over your chest, thinking about their fake smiles and acts of kindness that they were lacking, not to mention their attempts at humiliating you or others, âgirls arenât as simple as you guys.â
âHey!â he started, but when your eyes lifted toward him, there was no fight in his posture or expression. He merely rubbed the back of his head, âWell, I donât know much about girls, so I canât really say much about it.â
You nodded, glad he at least admitted such a thing.
He looked so uncertain now; before, he was nervous but giddy now; he seemed almost lost, âAre they like bullying you?â
âNo,â you said all too quickly. You were unsure. Before, in middle school, you experienced some really shitty things from them. You were sure they bullied you back then, but now it just seemed like they were ignoring you or whispering their bullshit behind your back.
âOkay. Is itâŚdid I offend you because I didnât ask you out before?â
You bit the inside of your mouth. You werenât offended. You honestly didnât really think about Sano asking girls around. Still, even if he was a delinquent, it was nice to have his attention for a moment right now. It was nice to have any attention, to be completely honest. You would graduate in a few months, and it felt like you were behind on the many things your classmates seemed to achieve. Logically, you knew it wasnât a big deal and that many people were just late bloomers, but it sucked so damn much to be left out of things all the time.
You didnât even kiss anyone or go on a single date. You had some friends but knew you werenât overly liked or missed if you didnât come to school. You were really lonely if you allowed yourself to think about it too much.
Your eyes fell on your gifts; at least someone thought they wouldnât mind dating me.
You kneeled down and picked up the items before you returned them to him, âI donât need you to give me anything. To be honest, I just gave you the chocolate because you saved my life the other day.â
And I didnât want you to feel left out like I do, you thought but refused to say. He would feel bad, and he was lovely in this weird boyish way that seemed to be getting under your skin.
Sanoâs face became unreadable, and you genuinely felt terrible, so you tried to explain, âI like someone else. Sort of.â
âLike a boyfriend?â he Sano, his face still not back to his previous relaxed self, but he sounded more or less like himself. It still made you feel shitty and wonder if you had made a mistake by telling him.
âLike an unrequired crush,â you clarified, âSo donât feel bad about not asking me out sooner.â
The dark-haired boy still didnât seem too convinced, but he nodded, âI see,â then, to your delight, he startled to laugh a bit and grinned at you, âYou know I must have thought up about fifty outcomes for how this would go. This was not it.â
You shrugged your shoulders, âIâm just glad I didnât get jumped or something.â
âCome on, a bunch of high school girls canât be that bad,â he said and waved his hand while you rolled your eyes, âClearly, you never became any girlâs target for bullying.â
He snatched the chocolate from you but nodded at the plushie, âKeep it. I still owe you something for the chocolate. It was delicious. Where did you buy it?â
You smiled, feeling your heart swell with pride, âI made it. If I was about to give anyone a chocolate, I would do it right.â
Sano opened the desert box and shoved some content into his mouth before offering you some as well.
You supposed there was no harm in that.
âIt was terrific. Your crush must be lucky.â
âI never gave him any,â you said and tasted some of the store-bought chocolate. It was good, but homemade was better, âItâs too-â
âSweet,â finished Sano with a nod but took another one, âHow come you never gave your crush any? Isnât Valentineâs Day a perfect opportunity for that?â
You looked away, âItâsâŚjust a crush.â
âWell,â Sano watched you for a while, and even if you couldnât see his face, his voice was very upbeat and supportive, âif itâs half as good as the one you gave me, he would have to have dead taste buds not to love it.â
You crushed the plushie of your favorite animal closer to your chest as you felt heat enter your cheeks. It felt good to be praised like that, âThank you, Sano-kun.â
âCall me Shinichiro,â he said and put his hand on your shoulder, startling you into looking at him, âAnd heâll especially love it if itâs coming from such a sweet and nice girl like you, y/n-chan.â
Your eyes blinked several times really fast as a strange warmth spread across your chest. You couldnât recall the last time some boy used your first name like that or said such a nice thing about you.
Your face burned, and you would much rather Sano wouldnât notice, so you quickly tried to argue, âDonât say that. You donât really know me. We talked like three times-â
âI told you, I asked around-â
âAh, no, those girls-â
âIt wasnât just the girls; even so, they didnât say anything that wasnât true. Youâre nice,â he smiled, and you had to admit, it was a charming smile, âYou could have left it with a thank you for helping you out the other day. Still, you invested your time to give me chocolate andâŚ,â he tilted his head. His dark eyes softened like they did last time, causing your insides to twist a bit, âDid you know if it wasnât for your chocolate, I wouldnât get any?â
You swallowed, going for a lie, but before you could, he chuckled and grinned, âYour face is all red, y/n-chan. If youâre like this with me, I wonder if your crush doesnât know all about your feelings.â
You pouted and waved his hand finally away from your shoulder since it obviously did something to your circulation and caused you to heat up, âCanât get all red if I donât talk to him.â
Sano blinked, surprised, âReally? Thatâs sort of stupid.â
âNo one asked you,â you said and started to walk Sano easily, catching up, âI just mean, if you really care for someone, you should tell them before itâs too late.â
âI donât plan to ever-â
You barely got behind the corner and froze, forgetting what you were trying to say in the first place.
There clearly, only because you would have to see them when you would be leaving, was your crush hugging that girl in a way that left no doubts about their relationship.
You were left speechless, trying to understand what you saw, even if it couldnât be more precise.
It felt like a bad dream. You knew realistically, if you never confessed, you didnât really have any right to feel like someone stole anyone from you, but at that moment, you couldnât reason with yourself.
Especially not when that girl leaned away and almost immediately looked at you as if she knew you were coming, âAh, what a coincidence, y/n-chan.â
What was worse was that your crush wasnât even looking at you; he was only looking down at the girl with a dopey smile on his face, clearly like someone who cared a lot about her.
âAra, ara,â said that girl in that sweet voice you long since learned was fake, âwhatâs with those teary eyes?â
Your eyes widened as you realized she wasnât lying.
You felt your eyes hurt the way they usually did right before you were about to cry. You could even feel the lump inside your throat, which meant if you were to open your mouth and make a single sound, you would start crying like a baby right there in front of your crush, that girl, and Sano.
No! NO! NO! NO!
You must have flinched or moved, ready to bolt it, regardless of how bad it would look, knowing nothing would be more humiliating that crying right now since your crush would find out why.
Suddenly, you felt a firm and grounding touch on your right shoulder, offering comfort even before he spoke confidently and authoritatively, âDonât make fun of her.â
Your heart, which was already speeding from the adrenaline, started to beat even faster, âSheâs crying because of me.â
Your eyes looked over at Sano and blinked some of the tears, jumping away, but most of them retreated back as you were shocked by his words.
He looked so different now, just as he had when he saved you on the street.
Intense, you thought to yourself. He looked strong enough to make people follow and believe in him. Surprisingly, you included.
âHuh?â spoke your crush, but your eyes remained on Sano partly because it relieved you from your heartache to look at him and have him touch your shoulder like that and partly because you feared if you looked back at your crush, you would start to wail.
Then came the chuckle, and your tears were forgotten in favor of shock and anger. It wasnât a nice fun chuckle. You heard those enough in your lifetime to know that. It was mean, like a mockery.
âSo what? Not only you canât get a girl, but you also make them cry now?â âjokedâ your crush, but you hardly found any humor in such a statement, mainly because being this close to Sano and having his hand on you, you could physically feel him flinch like the comment struck a nerve.
You watched the boy for a while and noticed how he seemed pleased with his joke, and for the first time in a very long time, he didnât look as handsome or worthy of your admiration. Did he really think so highly and better of himself simply because Sano was involved with gangs? He wasnât even fearful about the fact just thought it was beneath him.
He had a similar look to the girl who loved to hurt you so much, and at that moment, you couldnât help but think they probably deserved each other.
âNow, donât be like that,â said that girl in her overly sweet voice, âBesides, you shouldnât make assumptions when you donât know what really happened. Right y/n-chan?â
You watched the girl feeling your annoyance grow. Why did she always like to toy with you so much? She obviously planned for you to catch them. Did she expect you to confess you were upset because she stole your crush? Did she want you to humiliate Sano by confessing to you and you rejecting him?
You hated how much power she seemed to have.
You brushed your face, annoyed that some tears got away before you said, âYouâre right,â you said, and for a moment, you could see how pleased with herself she looked, âYou shouldnât make assumptions like that. Youâre not very good at them,â you said, looking at her before you looked at your crush again, âIn fact, Shinichiro made me really happy with his confession,â it wasnât a lie, not really. Even if you were stressed about it, it did feel good that someone chose you like that, âHe even brought me my favorite animal,â you squeezed the plushie to your chest, soaking some comfort from it before you smiled and looked at the dark-haired boy by your side who was still holding onto your shoulder.
He could have ratted you out now or accidentally revealed you surprised him, but instead, he just looked at you. His gaze wasnât soft or surprised, but curious and maybe a hint of playful now that sort of forced you to continue, âItâs a beautiful thing when someone offers you their heart. Especially if theyâre as amazing as Shinichiro. I just got a bit emotional by it.â
You said and shrugged your shoulders, sparing a single glance at the two noticing how some of the previous smugness wasnât on their faces anymore.
You turned back at Sano, who turned to look at you as well, now grinning, âI donât mind. Youâre pretty even when you cry,â then while still keeping his hand on your shoulder, his other one reached over and brushed your cheek and some lost tears away, âBut donât do it too often. Happy tears or not, I prefer you more when youâre smiling.â
Your mouth shut closed, and you were sure you were red again from how hot your face felt.
The touch was too relaxed, gentle, and familiar for your liking, but you found it easy not to flinch and give up the ruse.
Sano then pulled you closer to his side and looked at the two before you, âLater.â
Just like that, he took you with him away without a second glance, wave, or polite wish for a nice day. You heard the girl call after you, but luckily it was after you were a bit away, and Sanoâs shoulder blocked the words.
You were a bit out of it all, which was probably why you failed to notice when you appeared in front of Sanoâs bike.
âHere,â he said and handed you a helmet.
âWhat? No way, I canât ride with you!â you said, a bit too panicked.
His dark eyes danced across your face momentarily before he asked, âWhy not?â
You were sure your face spoke loud and clear about your reservations regarding the bike.
âItâll be fine,â he said with a certain ease that would cause you to be annoyed, except his dark eyes looked incredibly grounding with their strange confidence, âI took my little brother with me before, and it was fine. Heâs eight,â he grinned when he said that, and you bit your lip to stop it from smiling. You had no business doing that when you were lured into a death trap like this. Come on,â he assured you and raised his hand with the helmet for you to take once more.
You eyed the thing reluctantly before you looked into his eyes again. There were traces of amusement like he could tell he would convince you. Still, they also had rock-solid confidence as if he knew he would keep you safe when you decided to accept, âYou can trust me.â
You were still afraid, but it was true, he just supported your little lie back there, so it wasnât too much of a hassle to have some faith in his riding skills. Not to mention he saved your life the other day.
Your teeth let go of your lip as you very hesitantly said, âPromise not to go too fast.â
The boyish grin he shot you was almost worthy of your fears and anxiety over the ride. Almost. It was a pretty grin, but you would like to think you were better than to let something like that get to you so quickly.
âI promise.â
He tossed that word around so quickly, yet you couldnât help yourself and believe him. It made you wonder if he didnât become a gang leader just by smiling at people and promising them stuff. Even you could see the appeal, and you hardly knew the boy and had just had your heart sort of broken by a crush, who hopefully would never know you liked him.
You felt the pressure inside your throat and heaviness inside your eyes once again. Still, you refused to have Sano, a victim of another waterfall of tears for someone who was so rude to him.
You pushed away the warmth from your chest and took the helmet, switching it for your plushie.
Sano gave you a moment before he motioned for you to come closer and helped you secure the helmet responsibly and carefully.
You watched his face so close all the way he worked, wondering how he could look so relaxed, almost carefree yet caring, before you mumbled, âThank you.â
He just grinned at you and knocked his knuckles against the helmet, âDonât worry about it.â
You told him to drop you off at the end of your street to avoid meeting your family, that would surely freak out if they found you riding back with a known delinquent on top of it. You didnât think it would matter how serious you would be about Sano being a good person.
Once you sat behind him, he glanced back at you, and you could see the slight frown on his face, âYou need to come closer. I donât want you to accidentally fall off.â
As if he wanted to demonstrate to you that it could have been an issue, the bike jolted, sending you stumbling against his back, pressing into his body for the third time since you spoke with him less than a week ago.
The experience made you both regret you ever agreed to the ride and throw your arms around his middle.
If anyone saw us now, they would surely think, Iâm some desperate lovesick girlfriend, you thought to yourself, realizing you never properly discussed what happened with your crush and that girl. Oddly, you felt relieved as you didnât wish to dive into all of that just yet.
You heard his easy-going laughter and then felt his hands on your wrist, pealing them a bit from him, âCareful, or instead of holding onto me, youâll spoon me.â
Your face is hot as you let out a tight and embarrassed, âShut up.â
He tried to look at you, but with your red cheeks and crippling fear, you were nowhere near a state you could look back at him.
Sano seemed to accept that, as in the next moment, he started the bike and finally took you guys away.
After a few minutes, the sensation of air against your body and movement got bearable, even enjoyable, if it wasnât for the fact that your doubts and insecurities caught onto you, repeatedly replying to what happened back in the school. You felt like such an idiot. That girl knew you liked that boy, and she might even know you liked him for a while, and she thoroughly used it against you to make you suffer. You were beyond the point of believing she actually liked him and just so happened to be confessing to him in a place she would know you would see them. You knew her better than that, even if everyone assumed nothing but the best from her.
I wonder what did I ever do to her for her to hate me so much to do those things, you thought to yourself, and before you knew it, you realized you tightened your hold on Sano.
You expected him to loosen it once more, but instead, for a brief moment that he was waiting for a green light, his hand brushed your wrist, and you heard him say, âI got you, y/n-chan.â
Having his back to him and knowing he couldnât see you, it felt all too easy and right to lean forward and press the top of your helmet against his back below his neck. It felt comforting. Something you would never have guessed the leader of the Black Dragon could make you feel, but he did.
You snuggled closer to him with the excuse that you didnât want to fall down from the bike at that speed. Still, you would be lying if you didnât admit that when Sano stopped at the corner you instructed him to, you felt slightly disappointed that it was all over.
âThanks for the ride,â you said and returned his spare helmet to him.
When Sano reached for it, his palms pressed against yours, and you noticed his relaxed expression was gone. Instead, he looked rather grave, saying, âYou shouldnât cry for those people. They donât deserve a single one of your tears, and you already gave them plenty.â
You wanted to check if you didnât start to cry again, feeling a bit like an idiot, but Sanoâs hands kept on holding onto yours on his helmet, âYeah?â
Your eyes blinked, hypnotized a bit by his pretty dark ones that looked so convincing it did something to your insides, making it hard to focus on anything else.
Weird, you thought to yourself trying to brush it all as you were emotional about everything that happened today.
You cleared your throat, trying to appear normal and not like a lunatic, âO-okay.â
He finally took the helmet just as right about the last person you wished to see you called out your name. Your family was alright in general. Much better than when you were a kid, but you still couldnât help but often feel like an outsider who kept most of her struggles to herself. You just couldnât bring yourself confine in them as quickly as you knew other people could.
When you heard your name being called by one of your family members, you knew it would be troublesome if they saw you with someone like Sano.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You knew your worst fears came to life when you found yourself sitting beside Sano at your kitchen table. At the same time, your family questioned the two of you about everything and anything.
What a nosy bunch, you thought to yourself, irritated over how rude some of the questions were.Â
You werenât even sure how it happened. One moment you and Sano were about to part ways, and the next, your relative dragged the boy into your home, yelling, âY/n brought home her boyfriend!â They made it sound as if you brought home a winning lottery ticket for some reason.Â
Luckily, Sano didnât seem to take any offense either at being forced to dinner or the rude question. He quickly joked and even made fun of himself, keeping the mood somewhat positive and pleasant for everyone.
âAh, well, thatâs nice. This one sure worked hard on making that chocolate for you.â
It got on your nerve relatively fast how lovesick they made it out to appear when the reality was somewhere entirely else about the whole Valentinâs chocolate. But you held it back, quietly playing with your food instead. Your family meant well, but it often felt you were the odd one to their loud and cheerful personas. You were simply different.
âIâm glad. It was delicious,â said Sano, âI got her a plushie, but it almost doesnât feel like itâs enough.â
âOh, that cute thing. Itâs so nice you knew her favorite animal.â
âI still canât believe those girls remember that,â you mumbled mostly to yourself since it seemed no one at the table was really paying attention to you.Â
True, once upon a time, you were friends with the girls, who were now soulless followers, but even back then, it felt like they ignored what you had to say.
âNo,â blurted Sano, and you looked at him for the first time since this annoying dinner started, âI saw the keychain on your school bag the other day and figured you had to like it enough to carry it around.â
He offered you a boyish grin, and you couldnât help but stare at him before you returned to your food, puzzled. It shocked you that when he was saving you on the street, he had time to notice that keychain you bought your first year in high school. He wanted to give you something special you would like instead of just some sweets. It seemed like a lot an effort to put in for someone you didnât even consider girlfriend material before. You doubted Sano thought about you all that much until the day he saved you, and he confessed you werenât on his radar when he was asking his classmates and some girls in his school out, so the plushie meant a lot.Â
Then again, it also seemed like a lot an effort to make chocolate for some delinquent who helped you out once.
You glanced at him again when he fell into another series of twenty questions with your family, and you couldnât help but feel happy about his presence this close to you.
Weird, you told yourself not for the first time that day and finished your food.
Your good mood didnât last, as someone pointed out that Sano would have a lot of work to try to figure out what you were thinking because of how quiet you were.
âIâm not quiet, just selective about people I talk with,â you clarified, helping pick up the dishes. Still, for the first time, you were excused and told to show Sano your room and toy collection, which spiked your blood pressure because they were not toys, even if they were stuffed animals. It showed just how worried your family must have been about you staying forever alone if they were this desperate to get you a boyfriend. They didnât mind a boy coming into your room one bit.
âIâm glad you thought I was worthy,â said Sano, and you rolled your eyes before he continued with a smirk, âIt makes me feel even more special when you talk to me.â
You paused on your way to your room, realizing what he was talking about, and shrugged your shoulders, âYouâre alright.â
He continued grinning as if you told him the highest praise before you finally showed him your room. It perfectly represented you and your interests down to your favorite animal collection.
You settled your new addition between the old ones and spoke, âIâm still surprised you noticed that keychain the other day on the street. Everything happened so fast.â
Sano, who was busy analyzing the items on your desk, hardly looked at you, âNah, I saw it on your bag all the time in school.â
It was strange to think he noticed you before he helped you.
Before everything that happened.
You noticed him too, but he was a gang leader member, so that was a given.
He didnât stay long, for which you were eternally grateful as you werenât sure how much weirdness you could handle for one day, and you didnât even start on your homework.
As you wished him goodbye by his bike, he tossed you another one of his boyish grins that made his face very handsome, âIâll come to pick you up tomorrow morning too, alright? I already promised,â he nodded at your house, where your family sort of bullied him into picking you up for school, so you wouldnât have to wake up as early as you did.
âYou donât have to do that. They were just being obnoxious,â you assured him, but he shook his head, âItâs fine. I donât mind.â
Your eyes moved away because it felt a tiny bit uncomfortable to see him look at you so calmly before you noticed he didnât put on his helmet, âArenât you going to put it on?â
âNo, itâll ruin my hair,â he said, putting his hands up as if showing his hair to some imaginary audience. His hairstyle was a bit funny, but it suited him. Still, you couldnât help yourself but comment, âA helmet is a part of your bike for a reason. Are you going home or to meet someone?â
âWhy?â
âWell, if you donât have any gang duties or are going to meet friends, then it doesnât really matter if you mess up your hair,â you said before you shrugged your shoulders and sighed in defeat, âWear your helmet, Sano-san. Please,â you said and looked away, feeling the heat rising into your cheeks over your request. He could do whatever he wanted. You just wished he would do it safely.
âHow about we make a deal?â he asked, and you forced your eyes back to his face.
He was grinning, and his dark eyes shone with amusement, âYouâll call me Shinichiro again, and Iâll wear my helmet when Iâm on my way home.â
You opened your mouth, recalling how you used his first name so carelessly when lying to those two at school.Â
The fact that his face looked so happy now did something to you, but you didnât allow the warm sensation to make you weak, âHow about I call you Shin-kun, and you wear your helmet all the time?â
âYou drive a hard bargain, y/n-chan,â he said, but he looked nothing but satisfied, âFine, Iâll bite.â
He put the helmet over his pompadour, obviously ruining it, âLetâs give it a try.â
You nodded and stepped closer, knocking your knuckles against the helmet on top of his head before you offered him a small smile, âThank you, Shin-kun.â
You hoped he could tell you meant more than just the helmet, and based on the softness that entered his dark eyes, you knew he did.
You stepped away and waved at him before he disappeared from your side, realizing it was the third time you watched him leave you, but for the first time, you werenât annoyed.
You returned to your home and dodged the familyâs attempts to tease you about saying goodbye to your boyfriend until you got to the security of your room, where you realized something.
We didnât really talk about the whole pretend boyfriend/girlfriend thing.
Everything happened so fast, and you could tell Sano-Shin didnât want to cause you more anguish by talking about what happened in school. Your family just assumed he had to be a boyfriend since you made him chocolate, and he brought you home with a plushie. You attempted to say it wasnât like that. Still, they just thought you were being secretive and shy as usual, so after the first failed try, you let them believe whatever they wanted.
Itâs unreal, so Iâm sure it wonât be a big deal, right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You couldnât have been more wrong if you wanted to.
Shin followed his promise and came to pick you up, much to your familyâs delight.
Oddly, you were glad to see him. You wouldnât say you were a total loner, but you knew you lacked severely in the friendsâ department. You used to think you had a lot of friends, but with time you realized it didnât make you friends just because someone was polite or even friendly with someone.
You figured that the fact that you felt cozy inside when you saw the boy waiting for you by his bike was probably because it was a while since someone wanted your company for more than a moment.
The ride was less scary for you than the first one, and you even found yourself smiling a lot at the fact that Shin brought a spare helmet for you.
When he got you to school, you patiently waited for him to style his hair, giving him occasional pointers. You had the time since the boy showed up with some time to spare, âHere, let me.â
You did your best not to touch him anywhere but his hair. You combed and styled it as best as possible before stepping away from him, noticing how red his cheeks and face looked.
You bit the inside of your mouth to hide your own smile and embarrassment while Shin stated it was good and you could go.
When you entered the school with Shin by your side, you immediately felt everyoneâs eyes on you. It was more than a bit unnerving, and when their looks got replaced with whispers, your heart sank at some of the rude things the students said like I bet heâs paying her, or I didnât think she was so easy.
That last one earned the boy a sucker punch so fast, you didnât even catch it until he was on the ground with Shin standing above him, âDonât ever say that again.â
His voice was surreally icy, unlike anything he had used around you until now. Even when he was pissed at the driver who almost hit you or your ex-crush, he still remained human. This made him sound appropriately dangerous.
You didnât bother sparing the boy on the ground another look, and instead, you found yourself taking hold of Shinâs arm, trying not to blush too hard about it all, âLetâs go. Heâs not worth it.â
âYouâre right,â he said, and only when he looked at you did you see his tense and dangerous vibe fade a bit.
However, he didnât leave and instead called out, âListen up! If I ever hear anyone of you say stuff like that again, youâre going to regret it.â
You felt a shiver rush through your body, and you tried to distract yourself by pulling Shin with you further into the building, âLetâs just go, please.â
You didnât say it out loud, but it meant a lot to you that Shin stood up for you like that. You realized yesterday he was much better than people thought about him. You included. Initially, at least.Â
Before you split up, he patted your shoulder with a grin as his previous dangerous vibe was utterly gone, âWait for me after school, yeah?â
You couldnât hardly keep the smile on your face when you nodded.Â
It felt good to have someone in your corner again.Â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since then, it seemed whoever was talking about you did so in secret because you could still feel gazes on you at times, but no one dared to be loud and rude to you anymore.
Well, at least I donât have to hear what they think of me;Â you told yourself. You were used to being ignored or shit-talked like this by the followers and that mean girl, so it wasnât all that different. Plus, you would be lying if you didnât find some amusement in the fact that whenever you lifted your eyes to glance at someone who mentioned your name, their face went pale. Their eyes widened in fear that you would rat them out to Shin.Â
Shin and his gang could make some money by protecting bullied middle and high schoolers. It couldnât be the worst gig.Â
You felt good about things for several days until you went to the restroom. As it seemed you and Shin stumbled upon a specific routine with him giving you rides, there wasnât anything different about that day. You spoke with some friendly classmates. You could feel just how eager they were to ask you about everything that happened with Shin, but they didnât, so you didnât bother bringing it up. It didnât seem like their business anyway.
So far, neither of you mentioned you werenât an actual couple. Simply letting people talk whatever they wanted, given how much praise you noticed Shin got from some of his male classmates and friends the first day, you wondered if it maybe improved his status or something if people thought he finally landed a girlfriend.
It felt strangely rude to say you werenât together for some reason, and since no one asked you directly, you figured you would just let them think whatever they wanted to.Â
The moment you heard the door to the restroom open while you were still in the stall, you knew you would be in trouble.
Afterward, as you sat on the closed toilet long after the last class was over, you debated how long it would take for someone to find you. You figured that girl and her followers must have told every other girl not to use this restroom, and it seemed no matter how loudly you called for help, no one could hear you.
As mean as it was, it was primarily annoying to be left stranded in a locked stall. You were just grateful those girls werenât childish enough to try and get you wet like they once did in middle school. It could have been a lot worse, but you doubted it would do you any good to be left inside the restroom all night. Indeed, if you didnât come home, your family would notice, but who was to say they would realize something must have happened in school and not on your way home?
Hopefully, they wonât think Shin did anything to you, you wondered to yourself.
When the door opened, you were conflicted if you should scream or not since it could have been one of those girls returning to do something worse to you.
âY/N-chan?â called out Shinâs distinguished voice, and you breathed a sigh of absolute relief, feeling your eyes tear up for the first time since you realized those girls locked you inside the stall, âIâm here.â
You immediately heard a loud hit that shook the stall a bit and then found the door could finally be opened to reveal the dark-haired boy, âAre you alright? One of my captainâs girls came to say-Hey, hey, are you hurt?â
You shook your head and covered your face, unable to stop yourself from crying. You were surprised that when you saw him, you felt so pathetic and grateful all at once, and given that you were really stressed out and scared about what would happen to you, it just all came crashing down.Â
âI-IâŚshit,â suddenly you felt Shin take hold of your arm, and in the next moment, you were pressed against his solid and warm body while his hand kept a grip on the back of your head, âIâm here. Iâm sorry I wasnât here sooner, but Iâm here now, and youâre alright, okay?â
You couldnât speak as all that came out were sobs and hiccups revealing your anguish, so for now, you simply nodded against him, hoping your tears werenât soaking his clothes too much. A part of you felt awful letting out all those thoughts and feelings you spend the last hour or so trying to contain. Still, a more significant portion of you felt nothing but relief and gratitude for the dark-haired boy.
Shin kept you in his arms for a really long time, and you would happily remain there even longer. Still, you felt it was time to let go as the embarrassment from what you were doing caught onto your weak heart, âThank you.â
You stepped back, and he let you, but his hand merely moved from your back to your arm, âAre you alright?â
You nodded without meeting his eyes.
He kept on looking at you while you refused to look back at him until he sighed and spoke, âSo girls, huh? Who would have thought?â
You finally look at his face only to shoot him a look, âOnly a boy wouldnât know what they could do. Besides, this was nothing.â
His face was grave; you could tell by how he narrowed his eyebrows. He didnât like your words, âSo this happened before?â
You shrugged your shoulders, âThis and other things. I shouldnât have gone to the restroom alone. Itâs my fault.â
He squeezed your shoulder, âBe honest. Is it because everyone thinksâŚwellâŚ,â he didnât finish, but the slight flush of his cheeks and his voice crack was enough for you to guess what he meant.
Weâre together. Â
You shook your head. Even if that was the case, you wouldnât want to hurt Shin like that. Not when he was the only one who helped you so much and did so many little and small things for you. And it was barely days when you started talking to him, âNo, they didnât like me since middle school. I donât know why.â
He was silent for a moment before he surprised you with the confident look that took over his face. One that spoke of authority and seriousness.
âThis wonât happen again. Iâll make sure of it.â
You didnât have any heat inside you to argue or tell him he couldnât really help you. He might have been a gang leader, but you doubted he had the guts or ruthlessness to threaten or hurt a girl. Even if a small sinister and exhausted from all of these mind games, part of you wished he would.
He took you home and told you he would also pick you up the next day. You barely acknowledged that and simply wished him a safe trip before you went home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Shin could tell you were over what happened and didnât wish to bring it up, so he dropped it and instead talked to you about some unknown facts he learned about the animals in your collections.
You figured he was trying to cheer you up, so you let him reward him by asking him a few things about bikes that you quickly found was his endless pit of knowledge. You would be lying if you said you were all that interested in the subject, but something about the way Shinâs eyes seemed to shine with life and passion when he spoke got under your skin and made it impossible not to crave to see it more.
That girl and her followers must have found another victim because they largely ignored you for a while.
However, little by little, you notice some odd occurrences happening around you.
It started when one day after Shin dropped you off but decided to skip, you found two of your classmates furiously cleaning your desk.
When they saw they were caught, they bowed to you and quickly explained, âSomeone spilled something, y/l/n-san.â
âBut we managed to clean it almost all up.â
You gratefully thanked them, confused by their generosity since, apart from school stuff, they never bothered to speak with you.
A little after that, you found your shoe locker opened, but apart from your shoes, there was nothing there, and even if that seemed silly, you thought one of the 2nd year boys was standing guard over it.
A week later, you watched as your classmates pushed one of those girls that was a follower out of your classroom. She shot you a nasty look as she was passing you by, but she didnât say anything, and when you came into the room, you found two other classmates, all boys picking up your things off the floor.
They didnât tell you anything, and you were too confused to say anything either, so you just helped them with the rest of your stuff onto your desk and allowed them to return to their seats.
Then came the day you felt brave enough to go to the restroom again. It was empty, so you tried to be as quick as possible, and just as you were about to leave, you heard someone yell outside.
Reluctantly, you exited, hoping you werenât about to get jumped or something, only to find five boys, only one from your class, with their backs toward the restroom, keeping any of the girls outside from entering by the looks of it.
âWhatâs going on?â you finally found the guts to ask while the girls were allowed to enter, only for one of the boys to hesitantly admit, âThe Black Dragon issued a warning that if anything happened to you around the school, they would come after every guy who didnât protect you.â
You were left speechless.
Thatâs a joke, right?
With the bit of spare time you had left, you went to seek out Shin. Until now, you only ever saw him on your way to and from school. He was surprisingly punctual, only sometimes coming late in the morning, but with the excuse that he couldnât get his younger brother, Mikey, out of bed fast enough.
âDid youâŚ,â you started unsure how to form your question feeling strangely tender inside over what that student revealed to you.
Shin was looking at you; all the while, his other classmates silently kept their distance as if they knew better than to try and eavesdrop, âDid you tell your gang to threaten guys into protecting me?â
He raised his hand, touching the top of the doorway, looking as relaxed as he always had with his dark eyes softening at your sight, âI gave you my word I wouldnât let anything like that happen to you ever again. I would be a shitty leader if I didnât stick to it,â he grinned.
You watched him feeling your face warming up. Everything from his words to his leisure posture to what he did to ensure you didnât have to fear your bullies caused you to feel beyond happy to have him in your life and like you didnât deserve him at all.
Your heart speeded up, and the unfamiliar urge to reach out and touch him, somehow, anywhere, just so that you would be connected arose, confusing you. You never had a need like this before.
âYouâre too kind,â you found yourself saying, knowing your cheeks must have been flushed, âAre you sure youâre a delinquent?â you asked instead of any soft and cheesy words that came into your mind.
He hummed, his dark eyes never leaving yours, âWell, hopefully, none of those guys will slip up, so I wonât have to show you just how much of a delinquent I can be.â
You had to cover the side of your face and look away because you felt far too warm and fluffy inside over his words for some reason.
Itâs that stupid voice, for sure.Â
âWhat do you like to eat?â you asked him, and he blinked at you, puzzled by the question, âWhat?â
You shrugged your shoulders, âIâll make you something. YouâŚyou really did a lot for me.â
When he grinned at you, you felt your heart speed up even more and wondered how long an appropriate time was to forget about one crush and gain another.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You didnât really plan to discuss what happened to you in middle school or how being on your own in high school affected you. But with Shin and the hours you spent in one anotherâs company when you learned more and more about his life, they just sort of came out.Â
âYou must really hate her that she even took your crush from you,â he said as he stopped eating the food you got him. You didnât always make him something, but whenever you agreed upon it up front, you did, and occasionally, you even tossed some sweets for him and his siblings or captains.
You thought about it, âI hated that she made me cry and got under my skin, butâŚI sometimes see them in class, and I donât really care,â you admitted, âIt was just a crush anyway, and Iâm kind of grateful I never confessed.â
âYeah?â he asked and had a strange look behind his dark eyes, âWhat if he would accept?â
âI wouldnât get to know you,â you said before you could stop yourself and quickly turned away, âYou know, since what boyfriend would like his girlfriend to hang with a gang leader and all and â and I would never have gotten those girls off my back so-â
Shin tossed his head back and laughed.Â
You would have given him a piece of your mind, but you were too hypnotized by how beautiful he looked at that moment sitting in the schoolâs room, looking so happy and carefree.
âI get it, y/n,â he said and started eating again, smiling with a look that made you want to toss your arms around him and pull him closer.
Your cheeks were on fire again, but even if just a tiny bit, so were his, âIâm sort of glad none of those girls I liked ever accepted my confession either. I wouldnât trade this moment for anything.â
Your heart pounded so hard that even people outside the roof had to hear it.
You wished all so desperately to be braver at that moment than you were and reach out to touch him somehow but found it impossible to do so even when he got you to feel all mellow inside like this.Â
Back in middle school, when you were forced to postpone your confession to your crush, you merely told yourself you would do it later. It wasnât really a promise back then, not even a proper note for the future. It was more like an empty thought. One that wouldnât cause you too much anguish if you never followed through with it because how could it?Â
Now, however, looking at Shin, the most beautiful and unique boy, you have ever met, you refuse to let it stay just a thought and idea for the future.Â
No, now, you would make it a promise. Something you couldnât cower over forever. Something you would most definitely follow through with because how could you not?
Soon, you promised yourself in silence before offering him a kind smile feeling your entire heart agreed with you.Â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes after you started to hang out more in school too, you found yourself in an unfortunate situation with some members of his gang. It was an unlucky coincidence, really.
You were alone in the grocery store when two tall and intimidating-looking gang members caught you and tried to steal your wallet. Until then, you only ever saw the members of the infamous Black Dragons around the neighborhood, but with the exception of Shin, you never spoke to any of them.Â
You held your breath, dreading what they would do with you and hoping they would just take your money and leave when one of them pulled open your wallet.
His eyes doubled in size, and he started to stutter, âY-y-y-our n-name is-is-â
You became less fearful, and it seemed his partner was just as confused as you before he snatched your wallet from the boy and started to panic, too, âY/L/N⌠thatâs your name? OH NO!â
Suddenly both boys were on their knees, bowing to you and begging you for mercy, âPLEASE, DONâT TELL THE KING ABOUT THIS!â
âHEâLL KILL US!â
âHEâLL TELL HIS CAPTAINS TO KILL US!â
âWE DIDNâT KNOW IT WAS YOU!â
âBUT NOT BECAUSE HE DOESNâT TALK ABOUT YOU!âÂ
âHE DOES!âÂ
âALL THE TIME!âÂ
âWEâRE SORRY!âÂ
âWEâRE STUPID!â
You didnât even have time to say anything before they returned your wallet, snatched your bags, and told you they would walk them home for you.
You told yourself you wouldnât say anything about them but then decided you would feel sort of shitty if you knew something like this could happen to anyone else.
So far, you didnât have a reason to use the phone number you got from Shin, but you supposed todayâs misadventure was a good enough reason.
âMoshi, moshi,â greeted a child on the other end, and for a moment, you were unsure what to do until you heard a slight groan, âNot funny, you pedo-â
âWait!â you called out, startled, âSorry, is⌠Shin there?â
âWhoâs asking?â
You opened and closed your mouth. Throughout the last couple of weeks, the two of you never discussed the fact that everyone around the school assumed you two were a couple. It wasnât like anyone else brought it up, so you two just sort of carried on getting to know each other and became close. You would consider yourself friends, but the truth was you knew you were crushing on him a lot by now. Not to mention, he did try to confess to you after Valentineâs Day. It was, overall, a strange situation, and you were too shy and awkward to bring it up.
âWell?â demanded the child, and you cleared your throat, trying not to blush too hard, âJust tell him y/n is calling.â
âHis girlfriend? Huh, so youâre real? Though he made you up,â he said, and you couldnât help but chuckle at his bored tone.
âHey,â he said with much more amusement, âSay, how come you decided to date someone as weak and stupid as my brother?â
You grimaced, recalling some stories about Shinâs younger brother, Mikey, that now made a lot more sense when you heard how he spoke about his older brother. âWell, I canât speak much about his strength. I only saw him punch one guy for me,â you admitted.
âOh yeah?â asked Mikey almost gleefully.
âYeah,â you nodded even if the kid couldnât hear you, âUh, he said something untrue and horrible about me, and Shin really let him have it. He ended up on the ground with a busted lip.â
Mikey chuckled, âNice. But that guy had to be pretty weak. My brother isnât a good fighter.â
âI wasnât able to tell,â you said, wondering if he wasnât a good fighter, how could he have become the leader of Black Dragon before you carried on, âAnd he isnât stupid, just lazy. I corrected some of his homework, and if he invested more time into it, he would be fine.â
âGrandpa always calls him a slacker too,â agreed Mikey, and you smiled to yourself, thinking about Shin, unable to stop, âTo be completely honest. I find your older brother a pretty great and good person. He helped me out so much, and that was even before he properly got to know me. But even before we becameâŚuh, close, I felt he wasnât all that bad. I can also tell he cares about all of you a lot because he always smiles when he talks about you guys.â
You heard someone say something to Mikey.
âAlright, Iâll give you my brother now. Come around. Iâll show you how a really strong person fights.â
You grinned upon hearing that, âAlright. Bye, Mikey-chan.â
Just before Shin came to the phone, you heard the kid tell him loudly, âYour girlfriend is already cooler than you. You better beg her not to break up with you.â
âDonât be jealous, Mikey. If you ask me nicely, Iâll tell you all about my sweet moves to get a cool girl like that.â
You giggled a bit as you heard Shinâs voice, âSorry about that. My brother can be a little shit.â
âItâs alright. Heâs funny. Iâm curious about what sweet moves you want to show him. Getting rejected twenty times and stuttering through a confession?â you realized too late you might have opened the door to the discussion you never really had before you heard him let out a fake whine, âSo cruel, y/n-chan.â
You smiled and closed your eyes in relief before speaking again, âListen, I wonât tell you who it was, and I donât really want you to punish them, but I think you should know two of your members tried to rob me today?â
âWHAT?!â
âNothing happened. They found my student card and realized who I was. They apologized and even swore they would never do that again, and I know it isnât my business, and I donât want to.â
âAre you hurt?â
You frowned, confused, âWhat? No, youâre not listening.â
âAre. You. Hurt?â Shin asked again, this time far firmer, almost like he was angry.
You sighed, wishing you didnât say anything now, âNo.â
âIâm coming over.â
âItâs late,â you said and glanced out of the window, looking at the dark sky.
âIâm still coming over,â he said seriously before he eased his tone a bit, âCan I?â
It could have been troublesome, but you didnât have it in you to tell him no when he sounded like that, so you nodded, âAlright, we can talk for a bit outside the house, okay?â
Shin showed up less than twenty minutes later, obviously going far too fast.
Once he got off his bike carelessly, almost letting it fall to the ground, he was by your side in a second, putting his palms on your face, his dark eyes filled with concern and seriousness, trying to see if you were hurt before he lowered his gaze to the rest of your body, âI told you Iâm not hurt.â
âYou also said you werenât bullied before, remember?â he asked, and you bit your lip because it was true, and you didnât like to be reminded of it.
Once he genuinely deemed you unharmed, he let you go and stepped back with a loud sigh, âIâm sorry. Sometimes these things get out of hand. I was worried they were rough with you.â
You shook your head, your annoyance fading as you could see just how worried he was and why he was acting this way. You explained what happened again and simply asked him if he could tell his gang not to drag girls into dark alleys.
How bizarre that I get to ask that of a known gang leader.
Shin nodded, âIâll ensure they wonât ever do that.â
You smiled, knowing all too well that when Shin said something like that, he meant it.
He then sighed and brushed his hair, which you only then realized wasnât styled but sort of effortlessly messy in a good way.
âYour hair looks nice today,â you said before you could stop yourself and then covered half of your face before you looked away, âSorry.â
He chuckled, and you could tell a lot of stress fell off his shoulders before he stepped closer to you and brushed it again more aggressively, âYou think so? Want to touch it?â
You were embarrassed, but at the same time, you felt tempted to make him too.
You reached out and ran your fingers through his obviously not that long ago washed hair. It wasnât the first time you touched it, but it felt nicer tonight than when it was soaking with hair gel, âI like it.â
Your eyes met his half expecting more teasing or to find him blushing all the way to the tips of his ears, but instead, you saw him with a rather gloomy look.
âWhatâs the matter? I like your pompadour style too,â you assured him quickly, worried you offended his most beloved look, but he shook his head, âItâs not that. ItâsâŚmy mom is sick.â
Before he said it, you figured out that he only ever spoke about his grandfather as the sole adult around the house. You knew she was still alive since he mentioned his father had passed away five years ago. Still, his mother was a bit of a mystery until your own family discussed Sanoâs one evening, mentioning something about her being in a hospital for a long time now.
âItâs why I freaked out so much,â he explained, âSheâs not getting better, and if youâŚ,â he didnât answer, just shook his head, but you didnât need him to anyway.
Looking at him was heartbreaking. All the more because he already did so much for you, and here you were, powerless and useless to do the same.
Without anything else to offer, you offered yourself as you put your arms around his neck and pulled his body to yours. You couldnât recall the last time or ever if you ever hugged someone who wasnât your family. But with the way Shin practically sank into your embrace, almost crushing you with how tightly he was holding onto you, trying to get you even closer to him, you were sure you were doing a good job.
âShin,â you said finally and felt him hum before he pulled away enough to look at your face.
You offered him a small smile, âYou should introduce me to your captains. So, they know who to look out for.â
âYeah?â asked the boy, his smile returning.
Given how much on fire your face felt, you had no illusion about how red it must have looked, but even so, you two didnât let go of each other.Â
You nodded and decided to at least somehow hide your face by pulling him closer again, and he did the same.
The incredible feeling of warmth and safety inside your weak belly was almost enough to make up for the merciless teasing you had to endure from your family after you got back into the house.Â
AlmostÂ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shin introduced you to his captains a week later on a day you didnât have school. He started to skip more and more classes. Still, he always made a point to give you rides and occasionally even come back for lunches, if only to spend them in your presence.Â
Meeting gang members should have been terrifying, and some of you wondered if you should invest some money into a paper spray. Still, once they all gave you a very formal bow that made you feel like you were in some royal in a historical drama, they seemed to decide on a much friendlier approach looking at you like you were a new animal in the zoo.Â
âAh, sheâs pretty, Shin-chan,â said one with strangely alluring hair of three colors, âYouâre going to have cute babies.â
âOi!â warned him, Shin, and the only reason you didnât die of embarrassment was that Shin was blushing just as hard as you.Â
âSeriously, are you blackmailing this poor girl, Shin?â asked another one stepping closer to you with a far less friendly smile than the others.
Before Shin could answer, you took hold of his hand and asked, âAnd whereâs your girlfriend?â
It earned you a few chuckles, and the captain, who asked for some teasing from his comrades, but Shin grinned at you and pulled your closer, looking really impressed.
He kept you close to him since that. Being in the sea of boys in dark Black Dragons uniforms, you didnât mind it all that much, preferring that you could count on his hand on your arm or your own on his for comfort when things felt too overwhelming.Â
âThey liked you,â he said as he dropped you home later than usual that day, looking like he wouldnât mind if the two of you could spend even more time together.Â
You felt the same.Â
âI like them too,â you admitted, âSome more than others.â
He grinned before an almost shy look took over his face, and his dark eyes glanced somewhere into the distance, âI hope you donât plan to like themâŚmore than me.â
You opened and closed your mouth. Right there at the tip of your tongue was, âI donât think I ever liked anyone as much as I like you,â but you just couldnât force it out.Â
It seemed the moment carried and was threatening to become awkward, which you would hate so much because of how good it felt to be with Shin.Â
Unsure if you would ruin it or not, you acted before thinking and pressed your lips in a quick motion against his cheek, feeling just how heated and soft his skin was from an entire day under the sun outside.Â
Even if you would probably die out of mortification if someone ever found out, you felt crossed with yourself later on that you didnât aim closer to his mouth.Â
You didnât dare to see his reaction and just let a high-pitched bye before running to your house, grateful none of your family saw that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neither of you mentioned your little stunt afterward, and things returned to their routine. The anxious coward part of you was grateful since you would hate to mess something up when having Shin in your life brought you so much joy. But there was a every day getting, stronger part that still craved for more.Â
Almost as if that girl recognized you were dealing with something in your new relationship, she started talking at you. She couldnât speak to you since you found the new willpower to ignore her despite how rude it made you seem. That being said, you often heard her fake sweet voice carry around the hallways after you.Â
âYou know, y/n-chan. Being with Sano-san isnât really good for you if you act like this,â she said during one of those days that Shin skipped school, forcing you to eat with some of your friendlier classmates instead.Â
âYou might want to think about all that bad behavior rubbing off on you. Your family probably wouldnât take too kindly to learn that you changed so much,â said the girl. She wasnât wrong. Even if you didnât like it, if your family heard from anyone that you were acting badly, they would indeed believe them and blame you. Even if right now they were over the moon that their weirdo-daughter found herself a boyfriend.
You watched her smug face smiling at you with that fake kind smile feeling nothing but disgust and anger. You hated that she still held power over you to threaten something, in this case, someone you cared for so much.Â
âYou know,â you said while looking at her and some of her followers who came into the classroom, realizing a lot of people were silently listening to you two, âI used to wonder why did you hate me so much to bully me so severely-â
âBully, y/n-chan? You must be confused-â
âBut now I couldnât care less,â you admitted knowing for a while now it was the truth. Being with Shin and knowing he would look out for you in any way he could bring you a sense of security and power, for lack of better words. You felt strong enough for once against whatever this brat would toss at you.Â
She pressed her lips into a new tight smile, obviously upset you spoke to her in such a way.Â
âYouâre not a good person,â you glanced at every single one of the followers who came to your classroom, âneither of you are. And honestly, your opinion doesnât matter to me one bit anymore. In less than a month, weâll be graduating, and that will be the last time I ever have to see your face or hear that silly laughter of yours,â you looked away, returning to your lunch box, deciding that you were happy for once in a very long time. You refused to let them take that from you by causing you to stress and worry about things you couldnât control. So be it if that brat and her followers wanted to talk to your parents. If they wanted to believe her, so be it. You felt enough of an outsider with both of those groups to know you would still choose to have Shin in your life.
You heard her, and some other girls chuckle or snicker, âI donât know what makes you say such things. Perhaps youâre just tired from staying up too late with delinquents, who are up to no good.âÂ
You refused to dignify her with an answer knowing she would just turn it around.Â
You expected them to giggle some more and leave before you heard one of your classmates say, âHey if youâre done here, you can just leave already.â
The girls were silenced, and everyone, including you, glanced at your classmate, your former crush, âThis isnât your classroom. You donât see us occupying your space with your obnoxious chatters.â
You were surprised, to say the least, since you thought the two were dating, but maybe that wasnât the same. Not that it matters all that much to you now.Â
âThatâs right,â agreed some other classmates, and you turned to look at him, âAnd stop messing with y/l/n all the time. Itâs pathetic.â
Your classmate, who was eating with you, also said, âIf youâre so jealous, you might want to rethink your attitude.â
âWe all know you 3-B girls are just annoying bullies,â said someone else before she not so quietly whispered, âNo wonder Sano would prefer y/l/n. Sheâs a much better person than her.â
You didnât really know what to say to all that, and it seemed that girl and her followers didnât either after being called out like that.Â
They left in silence, looking at least a little bit ashamed or maybe sad, but you meant what you said since you couldnât really be bothered by them and their mind games anymore.Â
To show your gratitude to everyone, you thanked everyone, and the lunch went on much calmer.
Later when Shin came to drop you home, you told him what happened, and he offered you a grin and knocked against your helmet, âThatâs good. But if they still cause you trouble, let me know. Iâll figure something out.â
âShin, you canât beat up girls.â You knew he wouldnât do it, and even if some of his gang subordinates would willing to ruffle them up, you didnât want anyone to get hurt or in trouble because of you.Â
âOf course,â said Shin sounding almost offended you would think that, âBut I would fight with their boyfriends and crushes. Maybe older brothers.â
âAll of them, huh?â
âYup, every last one if it meant it would protect you,â he said proudly, and you hid your face against his back and put your arms tightly around his middle, âThank you, Shinichiro.â
You never would have thought you would feel blessed to have a delinquent in your life, but you truly felt that way.Â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time the graduation came and passed, you already met most of Shinâs family.Â
You visited his place as once your family let out you and Sano were together, his grandfather demanded you come for dinner too.Â
Mikey later blurted out that it was because, like everyone else in the family, they didnât think you were real, which got Shin to curse at them and then apologize. His family was lovely, and you liked them a lot. You even got a chance to accompany them once to visit Shinâs mother in the hospital. She cried when she said she could tell you were a good person, and she was grateful he had someone like you. She even thanked you, causing you to cry like a baby once you managed to get into the hallway startling the rest of his family. Still, Shin just chuckled and patted your head, explaining you tended to get emotional like that.Â
Either way, it wasnât a big deal for you to come to his home that day, but you made it a big deal by putting on your new summer dress and spending more time on your hair and makeup. You kept it decent, though. Shin was around you long enough to know what sort of a girl you were, so there was no point to start pretending to be someone else. He seemed to have liked you just fine up until now.Â
I just hope heâll continue to like me after this too.
You found him in his room, already familiar with the layout of his home, and allowed to come inside by Emma, who hugged your middle and had you promise to come to listen to some music with her before you would leave.Â
âHey, I wasnât expecting you today. I didnât forget, did I?â he asked, sitting up from his bed. After graduation and even a little before that, he stopped using hair gel and allowed his hair a messier and wilder hairstyle. You didnât mind it. He looked handsome all the same.
You shook your head, âDonât worry. I just thought I stop by.âÂ
You started university and found a part-time job while Shin went to work full-time. It made the both of you to have less time for one another, but you still made it work. It was good neither of you minded all that much to spend hours with the other while he was busy doing something else.Â
âSo whatâs up? Do you want to watch a movie?â he asked and sat on the floor so you could do the same. In your mind, you pretty much planned the whole thing out, but it seemed to actually be here, and seeing the young man was proving to be a hassle.Â
âEr, sure in a bit?â you agreed hesitantly.Â
He grinned and arched his eyebrow, clearly mocking you a bit about your weird behavior. You didnât blame him.Â
Your pulse pounded harder as you forced yourself to move closer, cursing at yourself that you chickened out during graduation when there was noise and other factors that made it all less quiet and awkward.Â
Shinâs dark eyes, which you always found so pretty, blinked at you, and much of his amusement faded.
Even if he wasnât doing anything, you could tell he stilled.Â
You moved closer until your knees touched the outside of his leg while he sat cross-legged on the floor. It was hardly the first time you were this close, but it seemed both of you now knew what this was all about.Â
You never really addressed the fact that you werenât a real couple. At first, it was either pointless or seemed rude, but with more time, you grew familiar with the notion. You never openly called each other boyfriend or girlfriend. Still, whenever Shin or you bought the other somewhere, people assumed you didnât correct them. You were unsure what were Shinâs thoughts on the matter, but you knew pretty early on yours that you didnât want to correct anyone anymore. Â
A sense of woozy headiness filled you when your noses touched. Being close to him wasnât new. He rode you home and hugged you quite often, making it somewhat easier to think you werenât just friends. Still, you never brushed your nose against his ever so slightly and felt your breaths mingle like this before.Â
You remained like this for a second before you sighed and erased the last couple of pesky inches between you with your lips. You never did this before, so it wasnât more than a quick and innocent peck. It wasnât enough to actually know anything about his taste or touch, but it still caused a tiny spark between you too.Â
When you opened your eyes, you found his dark ones already on you, âWhy?â
You swallowed, feeling a shiver running across your body at how breathless he sounded, âI-I felt like kissing my boyfriend.â
He blinked, and given how close your faces still were to one another, you felt rather than saw his hand slide up the back and around your neck, âYeah?â he asked and licked his lips, causing your eyes to stick to his mouth like glue, âWell, now I feel like kissing my girlfriend back.â
You sensed his head dipped, and he caused your chin to tilt toward him.Â
âOk-â
Then his mouth was on yours, and your mind emptied completely. Nothing else existed except for this. The heat, the pleasure, the firm pressure of his lips, and the soft glide of his tongue against yours.
You didnât know when you raised your hands, only found your fingers sliding into his hair while he tipped your head back further, giving him as much access as he could possibly want.Â
He tasted like mint, smoke, and Shin. It was so delicious and indescribable you wanted to drown in it, and you almost did.Â
A moan slipped from your mouth to his, and he answered with a tortured groan of his own.Â
His hand tightened around your nape in a way that, instead of that sweet and comfortable warmth, made you feel the heat.
Your first kiss should have felt strange or at least a little bit uncomfortable with how little practice you had, but it certainly didnât feel that way. Instead, it felt completely perfectly right.
You were both breathless when you broke the kiss, and he immediately pulled you into his arms.
You remained like that for a while quietly, with the only sounds coming from your loudly beating hearts, heavy breaths, and some faint sounds from other parts of the house.
Your eyes stayed closed until Shin pulled your face toward his and pressed your foreheads against each other, âIâm glad you gave me that chocolate on Valentineâs Day.â
You smiled, âIâm glad you didnât wait until March to return the favor.â
He chuckled and pressed a soft kiss against your temple, âI love you.â
âI love you too.â
Koniec A.N: Thank you for reading. Have a lovely day đ
*ŕłŕź đđđđ đđđđđđđ đđđđđđđ đđđđ đđđđđđđ .ŕłŕż
â amira speaks!: this was requested by my most beloved @juliavilu1, I hope you enjoy this dear and it was what you expected! I found it super fun to write. Thank you for the idea! đ ËËË ę° summary : being the daughter of Lord Bartimos Celtigar, a close ally to Rhaenyra Targaryen, you have grown up next to Lucerys Velaryon; your childhood best friend... And crush. By the time you receive the news of his betrothal to Lady Rhaena, you distance yourself for years, not even being able to attend her funeral after dying during childbirth. But when Lucerys finds you once again in Kingâs Landing, attending a feast his mother as Queen had invited you to, he decides that he wonât easily let go of you. ËËË ę° word count : 21.3k (this is the longest I have ever written đł)
ËËË ę° genre : Friends to lovers, angst to smut ËËË ę° pairing : Lord!Lucerys x Celtigar!Reader
WARNING.á THIS FIC CONTAINS ; jealousy, slight angst, Rhaena dies during childbirth, slight mentions of blood, neck kissing, praising, readerâs first time, body worshipping, P in V, seated missionary, unprotected sex, creampie, and overall soft smut.
âDo you think we will be able to avoid war, Luke?â you inquired sheepishly, craning your head to stare at him.
The soft sound of the seawaves clashing against the beachshore was the only thing heard amidst the night as well as the faint noise of the cool windy breeze, bringing a soothing comfort. Both Lucerys and you laid on your backs against the sand, quietly admiring the bright stars in the darkness of the night as you spoke to one another. Arrax peacefully slept by your side; his pearly scales glistening under the moonlight.
It wasnât unusual for you to surreptitiously sneak away from your chambers late at night with your childhood best friend Lucerys Velaryon whenever your family visited his own at Dragonstone, only for him to take you towards Arrax, fly on dragonback around the Dragonstone castle, and lay down on the beach before having to return to your private quarters. Ever since you grew up a bit, that was a common routine for the two of you to follow.
The war was imminent â inevitable. No one wished to provoke it, much less his mother Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, but everyone knew it was there, and the time to prepare for war would eventually come. You dreaded the mere thought of it, but you always sought and found comfort by simply being by Lucerysâ side.
The realm was coldly divided, and his mother Rhaenyra would have to fight hard for what was her birthright. Such times were complicated to deal with, and you knew you would have to be greatly prepared for what was yet to come... But knowing you had a great loving friend to rely on, was all that soothed you.
Or at least, you wished to think of him merely as a great best friend. It was quite obvious what you genuinely felt for him, despite you wouldnât even admit it for yourself â yet, you were endlessly teased by his and your own family. You â in a flustered manner â always disregarded such teasing remarks when they mentioned how head over heels you seemed for him, but deep down inside, you knew there was some truth to it.
At your question, his head tilted towards your side to stare at you. A soft huff escaped from him, feeling uncertain on what to answer. âWell,â he began, frowning slightly. âIâm not quite sure, my dear.â his nicknames to you had always been endearing, and they never failed to make you timidly grin. âWe can only hope so. But Iâm afraid, war is always inevitable.â
A frowny smile appeared on your lips. While you wished to believe war could be easily avoided, part of you knew Lucerys was right â war is always inevitable. You knew you had to prepare yourself for the worst, and in like every war, your Houses would have to get good allies. And with alliances, came betrothals â and knowing how most betrothals were â unwanted, unhappy, or both â you dreaded the mere thought of having your parents choose a Husband for you. If you could, you would choose to get betrothed to Lucerys; but you knew that situation was solely hopeless daydreaming.
The young Velaryon Prince knew about your discomfort regarding betrothals, and he always made sure to comfort and soothe your mind out of such thoughts. Though, Lucerys daydreamed as well about having the chance of choosing you as his wife some day. You were the only girl he had ever laid his eyes upon, and desired to have â and he knew he would be able to give you all the love and care you deserved to have in the world.
Unfortunately, as expected, Luke got betrothed to his cousin Rhaena. It wasnât bad, since he got along her, but she clearly wasnât you â the one Lucerys only longed to have.
A few moments of silence loomed over you, being only able to hear the way the tides clashed against the beach shore, occasionally hitting against some small shells or rocks. âI donât want to get betrothed just now, Luke.â you muttered quietly, fixing your gaze on the sky, which despite being dark, the stars scattered across it and the moon brought some calming lights. Lucerys stared at you with his hazel green eyes in a dreamily manner as you spoke. âI wish I had the full liberty of choosing whomever I want to marry, instead of praying in hopes of receiving a sweet, kind husband.â you continued, âIf we all had such liberty to choose the person we truly love, everything would be less complicated.â
And he couldnât agree any more with what you said. But his betrothal was already settled, as much as it pained him. âI know. It would be less dreadful, and it would feel less⌠Forced.â a soft sigh escaped from his lips, frowning briefly. âAnd I wish I could break off my own betrothal, but I have no word against it.â there was certain reluctance coming from him in telling you, but sooner or later, you would have to know about it â and he would much rather tell you about his betrothal himself. Furrowing your eyebrows in confusion, you didnât waste a single second in turning your head around to stare at him, believing you misheard him. What did he mean with⌠âBreak off his own betrothalâ?
Propping your body with your elbows in the sand, your staring remained on him. âWhat? What do you mean?â doing the same thing as you did, he slightly laid on the sand, but used his elbows to prop himself. His rosy lips partly opened as he was about to begin explaining, but you kept talking. âLuke, are youâŚâ the words trailed off for a moment, lingering on your lips before you could say them. It felt bitterly venomous to even acknowledge Lucerys had already been betrothed. It couldnât be, you wished to deny it. âYou are betrothed, already? To whom?â
As you awaited for his response, you could feel your heart loudly thumping against your chest, to the point it was as if it nearly escaped from your chest. Swiftly, his tongue passed over his lower lip, huffing faintly. You didnât seem very pleased at the news, and neither was he; but it was eventually expected. âI have been betrothed to my cousin Rhaena.â he began. A soft scoff escaped helplessly from you, clenching your jaw discreetly. âI got betrothed to her the day we went to Kingâs Landing for the first time after years.â
A knot had been formed quite tightly on your throat as you attentively listened to his words. Your chest rose and fell continuously as you managed to hold yourself back from allowing the tears threatening to spill to expose how you felt â seemingly making your emotions worsen with the dreadful passing of the seconds. Your heart dropped abruptly, and it was a burning pain mixed with jealousy. You knew this day would come, and every passing day it was overwhelming to even be reminded of him getting betrothed, and you as well.
âI see.â you managed to mutter, swallowing all your own emotions that seemed to wash over you violently. You didnât even know how to answer, you felt perplexed at the sudden situation. âWell, it was expected for both of us to eventually betrothe someone. At least, she will be lucky to have you as a husband.â gods, each word that came from your lips was one more painful than the other. Saying them felt like poison, completely bitter.
A frowny smile appeared on his lips, as he gently took your hand in his, squeezing it ligthly and caressing your skin with the tip of his thumb. In a sense, he tried to soothe you by giving you some physical affection like he always did, but it felt more painful than comforting. âI hope you find happiness and are very much loved with her, Lucerys. Because you deserve it, and you deserve to be appreciated every day of your life.â
It seemed as if you nearly spew out those words dreadfully, and you were; but as well, you genuinely wished for him to be filled with an immense amount of love... The same immense amount of love you could give him every single day, until your last breath. Love killed you, thorned you apart brutally â but there were duties to follow. And you couldnât easily object against them.
Lucerys had known you ever since he had memory, and probably, he knew you better than you could possibly know yourself. The prince noticed the struggle in your features, and the faint voice tone that managed to not break in between words. You felt upset, and it blended along notorious sadness simultaneously. Softly, he exhaled, and leaned closer to you, close enough for you to feel his sweet boyish scent, while he continued to tenderly squeeze your hand in his own.
âI wish the same for you, (y/n). And even a thousand more things, more than you could imagine.â closing your eyes slowly, Lucerys pressed his lips against your skin, smooching your cheek. Gods, if only you could feel his lips against his own, and savour him. âI have never met someone like you. I hope you get betrothed to someone who knows how to cherish and pamper you properly.â he was wishing you nothing more but mere well-being in every sense, as were you with him â why did it have to profoundly hurt the way it did? A shaky sigh escaped from your lips, opening your eyes slowly as he pulled back from the smooch in your cheek.
The look you carried in your eyes made his heart sink. In a way, instead of noticing how you had to hold back the way you truly felt, he preferred for you to talk to him about it, but Lucerys knew that wouldnât possibly happen. âThank you, Luke.â was all you replied, a bit shortly. Softly, you stood from the ground, progressively letting go of his hand. And even so, his warmth ghastly lingered on your delicate skin.
His hand returned to lay on the ground, feeling the small grains of sand under his fingertips, watching you stand up with his green eyes. âI think itâs time for me to return back to my chambers, Luke. I do not wish to rest late, or get scolded by our parents.â giving you a single nod, he rapidly stood up along you, briefly shaking off some sand from his clothing. âI understand, and agree. Letâs go, before anyone finds we arenât in our chambers.â a small, sheepish grin tugged lightly at the corner of his lips, notoriously trying to lift off the tension felt looming in the atmosphere.
You hesitantly returned the grin Lucerys offered for a few seconds, and followed him towards Arrax to fly back closer to the rocky castle â the pearly coloured dragon seemingly feeling the emotions of his rider, and awakening from its sleep. Swiftly, you climbed into the dragonâs back, right behind of Luke, and wrapped your arms tightly around his body as he commanded orders to his dragon in what you understood as High Valyrian. While you clung to his body, your cheek rested firmly against his back. And while you wished to enjoy the last dragon ride before having to return to your chambers and have a deep rest, your mind couldnât help but keep wandering off to his future marriage to Lady Rhaena.
The warmth emanating from his body was bitterly endearing, having the need to keep clinging to him as if your life depended on it. But you knew, the more you grew up, that you would eventually have to learn to live with the friendship you maintained, and perhaps, keep certain distance to respect the each otherâs betrotheds to yourselves. And despite acknowledging that, you werenât willing to suffer from a heartbreak, or longing for his soothing touch.
Years had passed since you had been told of Lucerysâ betrothal by none other than himself, got married, and was officially named as the Lord of Driftmark.
Throughout all those passing years, you had kept in touch with him. Raven letters were often sent by him, and you replied back. But ever since Luke got betrothed and married his cousin, you had decided on keeping your distance with him as much as it hurt you; and even if you still wrote letters to one another, your feedback was short and slightly cold at times. Your visits to Dragonstone were delayed, and most of the times if your father had to have a meeting with the Black Council, you now rarely travelled along him.
Lucerys noticed your cold distance immediatly. From the moment he observed your reaction to the news of his betrothal to Rhaena, he knew you had done your very best to put on a straight face without your voice breaking, or tears spilling from your watery eyes. Your abscense was more hurtful than anything else. All he had to cling to, was the shared memories of your sweet laughter, whispered gossiping to one another, and how you never failed in comforting one another no matter the inconvenience.
Of course, he had the replies y he received from your letters; but they didnât seem as light and sweet as they used to be, they seemed gloomier, and distantly cold. Lucerys adored you, even more than he could possibly adore his wife â as bad as it may sound â and himself, and if he had the possibility of changing his betrothal, Luke would have immediately broken it off just to marry you.
Recently, you had been informed by your father that Lucerysâ wife and Lady of Driftmark, Rhaena, along her newborn babe, had passed away during a difficult childbirth. Not only she had lost too much blood trying to give birth to the child, but as well the babe had taken too much time until it finally came out; and it was too late for both of them, immediatly passing away together.
Guilt burdened on you upon hearing the news. Especially, when you reminded yourself about the negative thoughts and bitterness you naturally had about her â yet, you couldnât never have wished for such tragic event to happen. And the burden weighened even stronger when a traditional Velaryon funeral was held for her, and instead of assisting to it and visiting Lucerys to check on him, all you managed to do was solely write a letter to him offering your deepest, genuine condolences.
You had to admit to yourself, you felt wrongly awful for not having enough strenght of seeing him once again in person, but you were afraid of it being too awkward, or making him feel worse about the situation somehow. You didnât want to further avoid him, however, you did, despite not wanting to admit it to yourself.
Until, destiny seemed to push you towards him, without you consciously realising. An invitation had arrived to you, from none other than Rhaenyra Targaryen, whom had managed to become the rightful Queen after winning the war against the Greens, and she was throwing a feast in Kingâs Landing. Much like you had done with Lucerys when his wife and babe died during childbirth, you had merely sent Rhaenyra a raven letter congratulating her for winning what was her birthright â for being the True Queen.
It had been years since you last saw her personally as well. Ever since you were a child, she had treated you as if you were her own sweet daughter, and she was like your best girl friend during your childhood, and teen years. After such victory and at the invitation to her feast, you never doubted in accepting in a heartbeat. And shortly after accepting to attend the feast, you prepared yourself to travel to Kingâs Landing.
A mix between eagerness and nervousness lingered on you during your travelling to Kingâs Landing. Of course, it was all because of the mere excitement you had after not seeing her and her family for many years, and you felt keen in properly congratulating her personally, and chatting together. Perhaps even to meet other allies of hers.
As soon as you arrived to the feast in Kingâs Landing, the atmosphere felt far more calming than you remembered. The environment was beautifully decorated, just properly for the feast. Soft, lovely music played in the background the moment you got into the feast, meeting other Lords and Ladies in there, and of course, you had the chance of seeing Rhaenyra once again after such a long time, greeting her cheerfully and even getting to chat a bit with her to catch up on how your lives had been.
As the time passed by, you decided to go chat with some other Lords and Ladies. And to have some fun with yourself, you kindly accepted the hand of a Lord that had offered himself to dance with you, amongst other people dancing. You had long forgotten about you own worries, giggles continuously spurred from your lips as you danced with another Lord, talking together about things that didnât matter much. Gracefully, your dress spun along your gentle movements, and the jewellery you wore jiggled.
From afar, the young Lord of Driftmark, Lucerys, stared at you with both his arms behind his back. His green eyes carefully observed your every delicate movement, helplessly feeling a tinge of jealousy overwhelm him slowly and dreadfully at the sight of you laughing along the other Lord. Gods, you seemed even more precious than he remembered. More mature, and with such beauteous features that made his eyes remain fixed on you. It surely couldnât be a coincidence, for you to be there, Lucerys had to approach you, and chat with you after many years of exchanging brief raven letters.
With gentle footsteps, Lucerys walked towards you. Your laughter was as endearingly sweet as the last time he had heard it during your shared youth, nearly intoxicating. Carrying a gentle grin, he cleared his throat as he stood next to you, and the other Lord. Both of you turned your heads around to stare at the person clearing his throat, and when you spotted Luke, your breath stopped for a moment. Your eyes went slightly wide, noticing with surprise how tall Lucerys had grown in comparison to when you were younger, nearly towering you, and how matured he looked. Your breath hitched as you fought back a timid grin, feeling your heartbeat thump rapidly against your chest. The way he stared at you with his green eyes⌠Seven Hells, you could melt right there in the spot.
âMy Lord, my Lady Celtigar.â Lucerys greeted, and you gave him a single bow down with your head. As his gaze moved from staring at the Lord briefly, he then stared at you; his eyes lingering on your features for a few long seconds. âI hope you donât mind, if I steal the Lady Celtigarâs hand from you?â a faint rosy hue crept on your cheeks, as the other Lord immediatly agreed with a smile, giving Luke a final bow with his head before bidding goodbye, and leaving the two of you alone â which, thatâs just how Lucerys wanted to have you. All alone for himself.
As Lucerys offered his hand to you, you took it right there, walking with gentle footsteps as to dance together, just like you were doing with the previous Lord. âMy Lord Velaryon,â you greeted playfully with a shy grin. âIâm pleased to see you once again.â the atmosphere was far from tense, as you wouldâve imagined. You did feel slightly timid around him, but merely because he looked intimidatingly precious, and fully matured like a proper Lord â far from the shy, insecure young Prince he used to be.
Placing your other hand on his arm, you gently danced around together amidst other dancing Lords and Ladies, continuing to hear the gentle music in the background. âI could say the same, my Lady. Youâve grown to be even more beautiful than you already were.â immediatly, you scoffed at him, trying to dart your stare elsewhere as to hide the notorious blush growing across your cheeks. âOh, shut up, Lucerys. If you think that about me, what is there left for me to say about you?â But Lucerys noticed your fluster right away, and along your teasing retort, it all served to fulfill his pride.
As he gentle held you, spinning around together softly while dancing, silence briefly loomed between the two of you. It wasnât a bad silence, but the more the seconds kept passing, the more it left place for your own thoughts to occupy your mind. And the burdening guilt had returned to you. The guilt of knowing his wife and babe had died during childbirth, and not having been there for Luke when he surely needed it the most. Your tongue swiftly passed over your lower lip, faintly clearing your throat.
âI-Iâm terribly sorry for what happened to Lady Rhaena and the babe, Luke.â you muttered shyly. The young Lord looked down at you, attentively listening. âI also apologise for not having been there for you. I should have.â gently, his thumb passed over the hand that held his own, smiling down at you. âDonât apologise. You really donât have to, I understand.â some relief washed over you at his words. âI did receive the letter you sent me, and that was enough for me. I donât want you to apologise for anything.â
Helplessly, your grin widened at hearing how Lucerys softly comforted you. The warmth of his thumb running across the skin of your hand felt just like the last time he had touched you like that. It felt as if your skin screamed to be touched by him again. âThank you, Luke. I really did miss you. I hope you know I never stopped thinking you, not even for a single day.â
His eyes twinkled gently. While it was fun to tease you on the inside because whatever thing he said it made you become immediatly flustered, it was now your turn to feel a sense of pride washing over you at the sight of his pale cheek turning a dark shade of red. Lucerys had greatly missed you, and your absence was notoriously felt by him. How could he not miss you, his dear friend... And the woman he so dearly adored more than anything?
âI have missed you terribly as well, vÄzos qÄlossÄs Ăąuho, more than you could possibly imagine.â my sun and stars, as he often fancied nicknaming you. Another trait you had missed from Lucerys, was all the nicknames he had only for you, and no one else. Luke knew just how much you loved High Valyrian, and how you appreciated hearing him talk in it, and he wasted no time in teaching you, and talking to you in Valyrian.
âI have needed you by my side more than anything else in my life. And now, the Seven have brought us back together.â
One thing the young Lord had for sure, is that now that you had returned right back into his arms after yeaes of not seeing each other, he wasnât willing to let you escape so easily from him. You werenât going anywhere.
Hours had passed since you arrived in Kingâs Landing and joined the feast. The nerves you had through your travelled had long washed away from you, now feeling a state of tiredness from all the dancing, laughing, and hyperactivity â and also, you still felt the keen emotion remaining on your veins of seeing Lucerys again, and having great fun with the boy you had always held deep into your heart, unlike no other.
An exhausted, yet gentle huff spurred from your lips as you reached the dimly lit chambers to spend the night in, and get some proper rest before parting back to where you belonged. The wooden door slightly creaked, shutting it closed behind of you the moment you entered. And as soon as you were in, your fingers immediatly moved in a lazily hurried manner to untie the laces from your dress.
You already had enough fun for the day, and you couldnât await any longer to surrender yourself into a deep slumber. Beginning to open your dress slightly to free yourself from your clothing and change into a nightgown, your eyes were half lidded with tiredness. And before you could manage to fully undress, a hushed knock outside your door was heard. Furrowing your eyebrows in confusion, you turned around.
âCome in.â you chirped gently, curious at who knocked on your door late in the evening. The door was swiftly opened, creaking once again, only to reveal Lucerys. It was hard for you to fight back a smile at the mere sight of him. As soon as his hand closed the door discreetly behind of him, you could feel his eyes curiously lingering on your body, admiring it as your dress was loose. âIâm not interrupting anything, am I?â
Trying hard to fight the blushing in your face, noticing the way he took in your figure for his own delight, you shook your head. âN-No, of course you arenât. I was just preparing myself to sleep.â you explained, âI supposed you were already in bed?â in response, Lucerys simply shrugged. âYes. But I couldnât really sleep.â he replied shortly. His arms were both hidden behinds his back, gently approaching you with quiet footsteps.
Your eyebrows kept furrowed, awaiting for him to keep going. Some moments of awkward silence remained on the atmosphere, noticing how Lucerys seemed to struggle whatever he had to tell you. His hazel eyes remained on the ground, before raising his sight and staring at you. âI canât sleep, knowing youâre finally here with me, after all these years.â he managed to whisper out. It seemed slightly shy, but at the same time, you knew his words were genuine.
âWhen I say I missed you, I truly mean it. I wish I could have seen you more often, like we used to do in our youth.â nibbling discreetly on your lower lip, you stood stiff in front of him, playing with the hem of your sleeves. âI never cared about whoever I married. That was supposed to be part of my duty as a future Lordââ abruptly, Luke paused for some seconds, before continuing. ââBut the only person whom I genuinely adored ever since I have memory, and never stopped thinking about, was you.â
Lucerys stood right in front of you, shadowing you slightly with his height. Your sight was raised to stare at him in disbelief, feeling heat rise your cheeks. Nervously, Luke placed his hand on your cheek, beginning to caress your skin with the tip od his thumb. âYou have no idea how I have longed for you; how not seeing you as often as we did when we were younger made me need you more than anything.â his thumb slowly moved towards your lower lip, brushing it. Your lips partly opened, losing yourself on the way he gazed down at you.
âI canât hold back the fact that I love you. Iâm in love with you, and I would anything to prove it to you, and have you by my side for the rest of my life.â for him, in a way, it was a relief to get those words off of his chest. Lucerys was undoubtedly devoted to you, and he never laid his eyes upon anyone else, but you. Unconsciously, you allowed the weight of your head to fall against the palm of his hand, melting at the feeling of his thumb stroking your cheek sweetly.
Without answering, your eyes were fixed on his own for a few seconds, appreciating the silence that had formed between the two of you. Suddenly, you tiptoed, firmly gripping his clothing to quickly pull him closer to you as he leaned further, and your lips immediatly locked against his own for the first time ever. Kissing him was an urgent need that you desperately craved. After many years of daydreaming about savouring the taste of his lips, you finally had the opportunity to do so, and you took it.
His lips tasted like seasalt, and at the same time, they were endearingly sweet, as well as plump. Initially, your actions took Lucerys by surprise... But much like you, ever since he had fallen head over heels for you, not one day passed without him fantasising about holding you in his arms, tasting your lips, and being more intimate with you. You kissed with such vigor, and so fervently that neither of you were aware of what you were doing, or were even aware of your surroundings anymore, as Lucerys placed one of his hands behind your neck, pulling you closer to deepen the kiss.
You were desperate to feel his body pressing against yours, to feel his warmth seeping into you. You wanted him, and you needed him. Your hands caressed his chest as they moved up and down, playing occasionally with the buttons of his clothing, trying desperately to gain some kind of feeling for his skin. Quietly you gasped as Lucerys abruptly pulled away from your lips, leaving you heavily panting, just like he panted. In disbelief, you stared at him notoriously desperate to keep kissing him, and he softly scoffed.
Sliding one of his hands on your waist, he moved to sit on the edge of your bed, falling down into the mattress with a huff. His hand then patted gently his lap. âCome. Sit on my lap.â he offered, smiling at you invitingly. Happily obliging, you did as he offered, immediatly approaching closer to him just to sit on his lap, weighing on him very softly, and wrapped your arms firmly around your neck. A smug grin appeared on his rosy lips as his hands were on your waist, caressing you with his fingers slowly.
You pressed yourself tightly against him, lowering down your face to press a smooch agaisnt his lips, to which Luke rapidly reciprocated. âYou should sit on my lap more often.â he whispered, trailing kisses from your cheeks, lowering himself to your jawline, and approaching your neck. âIt makes you look prettier, more than you already are.â his hot breath against your sensitive skin made you shiver softly, gasping as he spoke in a low tone, and kept pressing tender pecks on your neck.
One of his hands that rested on your waist moved slowly downwards, attempting to lift your dress to slip a hand under it, grasping your skin. Throwing your head back to give him further access to your flesh, you hummed quietly as your eyes were closed. His sight was raised to stare at you, as his other free hand played with the laces of your dress. âMay I keep kissing and touching you?â you opened your eyes, looking down at him. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, scraping his nails across your skin teasingly as one of his hands was under your dress, touching your leg.
If it were for him, he could take you right there, and pamper and show you just how much he adored you more than anything else in the world. But his mother taught him how to be a proper, respectful gentleman â he preferred to have your full consent before allowing his impulses to act by themselves, especially when it came to treating you.
You returned the way Luke gazed at you, with warmth and love, shyly smiling down at him. Leaning closer to him, lowering your face, you placed a gentle kiss onto his cheek, resting your lips there for several seconds. Lukeâs lips curled into an easy smile, feeling your lips against his cheek, and gently craned his head slightly to kiss your lips. âYes, you may. And you donât need to ask for my permission, Lukeâ you agreed, closing your eyes once again, allowing him to continue with exploring every inch of your skin with fervor.
Lucerys leaned forward to place feather light kisses along your collarbone and on your throat, his touch almost feverish as he took you in his arms. He continued to pepper kisses on your neck, moving to your breasts, and your chest began to ache from how hard your heart was beating. You growled silently as one of his hands began untying the laces of your dress, loosening your clothing from your body as his lips focused on placing tender, yet desperate kisses on your breasts.
Writhing slightly on top of him, quiet moans spurred from your lips needily. Your hips began grinding against him, sliding a hand behind the back of his head, interwining your fingers between strands of his brunette messy hair. The sound of your muffled moans were drowned out by the sound of your pounding heartbeat, the sensation so sweet that you couldnât help but feel the need to do it again and again, until it became unbearable.
Unable to wait any longer, you bit your lip sharply to suppress another moan. Your body tensed as Luke lifted your dress by itâs hem, up to your stomach. âYouâre so precious, I could take care of youââ he whispered, interrupting himself briefly, moving his hand to caress your stomach with his fingertips in a slow, dedicated manner, until they travelled downwards to play with the waistband of your underwear. âNo, I will take care of you so perfectly â like you deserve to be taken care of.â beneath you, you could feel his growing erection poking against your clothed, moistened genitalia; achingly throbbing in need to feel him.
It felt as if you were dreaming. Such things could occur in your fanaties â and yet, you were. Overall, despite the notorious eager wave of emotions washing over you, you felt rather nervous. It was the first time in your life you would ever have such intimate moment, only having known about what other ladies experienced, but never having the opportunity of doing it yourself. What comforted you, was the thought of Lucerys being there to guide you through, and knowing just how gently delicate ans patient he always was around you.
You swallowed, as you were pressed firmly against his lap, grinding against each other unconciously; the room being filled with your heavy pants. One of his trembling hands moved in a hurried manner to unbuckle his belt, loosening his trousers and rapidly lowering his pants. Attentively staring at his actions, your breath sharpened. You placed your hand on his chest, catching his attention. âLuke, waitââ you whispered, nervously.
Lucerysâ eyebrows knitted in worry, being afraid he might have pressured you, or even made you feel uncomfortable, as he patiently awaited for you to continue. âP-Please go slowly, and gentle. I-Itâs my first time.â you awkwardly admitted, keeping your gaze elsewhere timidly as a blush crept on your skin. A sigh of relief escaped from him, knowing you were merely wishing him to go slow and gentle.
He quietly chuckled, pressing his lips against the corner of your lips, and placing several kisses on that zone as his other hand cupped your cheek tenderly. âOf course, my love. I wasnât planning on treating you otherwise, either way.â your eyes closed as a smile grew on your own lips, feeling loved and pampered by the young Velaryon Lord. âPlease continue, Luke. I need you.â you whispered back, moving your head to meet your lips with his own.
A growl of approval came deep from his throat. The hand that cupped your cheek let go of it slowly, and moved downwards towards his underwear, tugging on the fabric. He removed them quickly, before leaning forward to place light pecks on your lips once more as your own shaking hands removed your panties, sliding them through your legs quickly and tossing them apart.
Once he did lower his underwear, he pulled away slightly, resting his forehead against yours. âIf you wish me to stop, tell me. I could never try to hurt you in any way, my sweet.â Lucerys spoke softly, almost shyly; and who could blame him? You were as delicate as the petal of a flower. But you didnât want him to stop, not now.
You gave him a small reassuring nod, encouraging Lucerys to continue. The young Lord smiled to himself, finally pulling out his erection, feeling itâs tip poke against your wet folds, rubbing himself teasingly; which made several groans escape from you. You straddled him, wrapping your legs around his waist. His panting became heavier, ocassionally hitching his breathing as your moist folds grinded against his tip, which leaked precum. Both his hands gripped firmly your waist, trailing kisses all across your neck in between gasps.
Slowly and carefully, moving his hips, and helping your body move down to him, his erected member slipped inside your tight entrance. Initially, the stinging, burning sensation of your inner walls being stretched made you groan; immediatly hiding your face in the crook of Lucerysâ neck, and digging your nails deep into his skin. His arms were wrapped tightly around you, staying still at the sight of your reaction, looking down at you with concern.
âA-Are you alright, love?â Lucerys knew ladies took their time until they adjusted themselves during intercourse. And for you, Luke was willing to be as patient and loving as he could possibly be. With a hitched breathing, clinging yourself to him as he peppered the top of your head with kisses, you nodded weakly. You awaited until you adjusted to his size, feeling your slick increase as it leisurely turned into a pleasant sensation.
âY-You can continue, please.â you mumbled in a whisper, placing a soft kiss on his shoulder blade. A smile grew on him as one of his hands caressed the back of your head, playing with the strands of your silky hair lovingly â as if Lucerys admired every bit that composed the entirety of yourself. And with a gentle movement, holding firmly your waist with one of his hands, he kept pushing further inside slowly. A high-pitched groan escaped from you, moving down on his cock.
Your soft moans and pants became louder, the more used you became to the feeling. Despite your sweet sounds encouraging him to go further, his movements remained gentle and slow, yet deep. âG-Gods,â he breathed out, as you moved your face, encountering his own, to press a quick sloppy kiss. âY-You feel so tight, and you take me s-so well, issa jorraelagonââ continous growls escaped deeply from his throat as your pussy tightened around his erection with each penetration. âI-Is it okay if I move faster? I-I promise I will still be gentle,â he inquired in a low tone, moving his green eyes to stare at you, awaiting to know if you felt comfortable and ready enough. You nodded vehemently in approval, nibbling down your lower lip to hold back your pleasured grunts.
Desperately, beginning to progressively move faster â much to your delight, heard in your high-pitched whines â, his lips found their way to your sensitive neck, making you throw your head back to give him more carnal access. âS-Seven Hells, your skin f-feels like Iâm kissing soft silk, youâre beautiful.â he praised, using softly his tongue to pass it across the soft spots in your neck, occasionally nibbling on them while he pressed you all the way down against his throbbing cock.
âA-And you taste so sweet. F-Fuck, I adore you.â a soft fleshy sound accompanied the simultaneous pants spurring from your mouths, which then became slightly loud moans despite the urge of holding them back. His hips moved upwards, making his thrusts against your wet cunt become more intense, hitting deeply against your sweet spot. With each pound against that one spot, his name escaped relentlessly from your mouth. âL-Lucerys,â you growled, as his lips continued focusing on your neck, throat, and moving to your collarbone; in each kiss, a cry of pleasure spurred helplessly from him.
âI-I love you. I love you more than y-you could possibly imagine... More than anyone else.â he murmured into your neck, sucking and nipping at the tender skin there with the gentlest touch he could muster. With each word that passed between his lips, a moan left you with each breath, his hips moving even harder as he let himself get lost in your intimate encounter.
This wasnât like having intimacy with his previous, now deceased wife â that was done for mere duties and responsabilities; to bring heirs to Driftmark, the ones that would sit in the Driftwood throne. This, was an intimate act strictly out of love. It was a moment Luke always longed to have with you, the person whom he truly desired unconditionally, and the one whom he was willing to give his entire heart and soul, and all of the love that he had. âSkorkydoso kostagon ao sagon sÄŤr vok, se gevie? A-Ay jorrÄelanââ (how can you be so perfect, and beautiful? I love you.) You owned his heart, and you most certainly belonged with him.
As his pace quickened, you were able to grab onto his shoulders to support yourself without letting go of him, feeling his muscles tense underneath your fingertips as he continued to move into you. He was going fast enough for both of your bodies to come undone with a mix of ecstasy, but at the same time, pure love that was expressed in his gentle â yet intense â thrusts, kisses, and words of praising. Your slick was coated well enough all across his throbbing member, making it easier for him to slip in and out of you with fervid intensity.
A knot formed inside your stomachs the deeper and faster his thrusts were against your moistened cunt, hitting against your overstimulated folds. Your violently legs shook as they were firmly wrapped around his body, while he continued to hit your sweet spot that made you absolutely weak, clinging to him needily the closer you felt to coming. Both your arms were around his neck, slightly digging your nails deep into the skin of his back.
The panting that escaped from both of your lips intensified, becoming loud growls and moans as the knot inside your stomachs tightened, feeling as if it was about to loosen at any moment. His cock became harder inside of you, pulsating; as you couls feel your own slick coming down faster. Eagerly, while one of his hands remained gripping your hip to help you with your own movements, his other hand went to the back of your head, intertwining his fingers in between strands of your hair, pulling you closer to him.
âAvy jorrÄelan,â (I love you) Lucerys whispered against your lips, grasping them against his own. âNyke kostagon mÄrÄŤ jorrÄelagon ao.â (I can only love you), he continued, as his lips needily locked with your own, tilting his head slightly as to deepen the kiss, feeling your intensifying hot pants continously hit against your skins. You could feel your orgasm approaching, your core tightening as your stomach twisted in an increasingly uncomfortable way.
A loud groan escaped deep from your throat against his lips as you felt your walls tighten around his pulsating cock, milking him, and your own cum violently coming down as a flush of wetness. His hands firmly gripped both your hips, pressing you all the way down his shaft. A loud groan pleasantly escaped from him, feeling his cum shot several spurs inside of you, provoking in you to feel warmth in your stomach.
âFuck,â he cursed under his breath, parting is lips aqay from you briefly, resting his forehead lazily against you. A grin curved on the corner of his lips, chuckling breathlessly to himself as both of you tried to calm down from your simultaneous orgasm and release. His fingertips caressed your hips with a shaky movement from the arousal, remaining buried deep inside of you.
Copying his previous actions, you released a panting giggle. âI-I quite liked that, Luke.â you whispered, rubbing the tip of your nose against his own lovingly. Humming contentedly, Lucerys returned the affection. âYou have no idea how much I missed you, my Lord Velaryon. And how many times I imagined for this to happen.â a faint rosy pins hue formed on his cheeks, as his chest rose and fell slowly, trying to catch his breathing.
Without thinking it, both his hands cupped your cheeks, and his lips began exploring your face by littering you with delicate kisses â tresting you as if you were made of glass. âMy sweet princess,â Lucerys whispered, not fighting back a smile. His index finger fell to your arm, moving it downward to explore your skin, feeling it delicately on his digit, until it reached your hand. âI could say the exact same to you, and many other things. You are so perfect, physically and personally, I would despise it if any other Lord had your attention.â
Immediatly your arms were wrapped against his neck again, giggling as you placed your lips on the tip of his nose. Gods, his heart was melting at how much pure love and desire he felt for you. It could combust from being overwhelmed at his own affection. His green eyes fluttered shut, allowing to be pampered in those little kisses coming from your pretty lips, leaving their warmth on his flesh.
Lucerys let his head tiredly rest on the crook of your neck, inhaling discreetly as to feel your endearing honey scent intoxicate him. How could he have not missed you? And now that you were there with him, having had sexual relationships and shared kisses and feelings, you werenât going to so easily escape from him now. Merely remembering how you distanced yourself after his betrothal felt like a burning, stinging pain on his heart.
His arms were protectively wrapped around your waist, growling in delight quietly. Lazily, Luke placed a kiss on your shoulder blade, opening his eyes to look up at you staring at him adoringly.
âNyke jÄhor daor ivestragÄŤ ao jikagon, issa prĹŤmia. Ao jÄhor daor dakogon qrÄŤdrughagon hen issa dombo.â
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Credit: @cam76602 on tiktok
yeeeAHHHH BABY
cursed
Safe With Me
Thomas Shelby x Reader
Summary: Youâve been sent back in time, landing in 1919 in Birmingham. Youâre busy trying to survive when Thomas Shelby approaches you in a bar.
Part 2 Part 3
Itâd been almost a month now since youâd been here⌠in 1919. Adjusting to this lifestyle had not been easy; if it werenât for the help of Harry feeling sorry for you and giving you the job of the barmaid, you wouldâve been screwed.
You were still getting used to everything, even the way these people spoke.
It took everything you had to keep your head down and stay quiet. You had to survive.
You were wiping down the tables at the end of the night. Harry had left and waved you a goodbye on the way out. He was letting you stay in the room upstairs while you worked, at least until you could afford your own place.
You heard the door open, causing you to spin around quickly.
You were about to announce that the bar was closed until you recognised Thomas Shelby. You may have only been here a short while, but it wasnât hard to see the type of man he was.
Harry always told you to give the man whatever he asked; so when he walked through the doors after hours, you kept your mouth shut.
âI need a whiskeyâ he stated, already expecting you to pour a glass.
âOf courseâ you replied quietly with a small smile as you walked around behind the bar.
âScotch or Irish?â You asked, looking him in the eyes.
âIrishâ
You poured him a glass and pushed it over to him, unsure if you could get back to cleaning up.
âShould I leave you alone..?â You offered, feeling a little intimidated by his presence.
âNoâ he stated without looking at you. âI came here for companyâ he added.
âOh.. Harry just leftâ you replied.
âWho said I was here for Harry?â He questioned, raising an eyebrow at you before finishing his drink.
You have him a small smile, not knowing what to say. When he finished his drink, you quickly began washing it up.
Thomas Shelby had barely acknowledged your existence prior to this night. You liked it like that, staying out of the way of this gangster felt like the best thing to do.
You took in a deep breath, trying to relax and get through this moment.
âYouâre in the wrong place.. workinâ hereâ he stated, looking up at you.
You looked back at him feeling slightly confused.
âWhat do you mean?â You questioned with a nervous chuckle.
âYouâre too prettyâ he said, giving you a small shrug as if his statement was obvious.
You opened your mouth slightly, thinking of what to say in response but you quickly shut it. It felt dangerous talking to him even *this* much.
âI did some digging up on youâ he said without making eye contact. âCouldnât find anyone âround here who knows who you areâ he added.
You were quiet, feeling your heart rate pick up.
âIâm not from hereâ you reply quickly, worried he is suspicious of you.
âHmmâ he said with a nod, clearly not trusting you.
âWhere are ya from then?â He asked, feeling a genuine curiosity about you.
âIâm from Australiaâ you answered, knowing it was too far away for him to question much.
âYouâve come a long way thenâ he stated honestly, feeling moderately surprised by your answer.
âHave you been to the races?â He asked genuinely, moving the conversation on.
You shook your head in response. âNoâ you answered quietly, trying to hide how nervous you were.
âIâm gonna take youâ he stated, not taking no for an answer.
You blinked in surprise.
âOh⌠when?â You questioned.
âTwo days from now. Iâll pick you up hereâ he said before standing up and preparing to walk out.
He turned to place some extra money on the bar. âWhere something redâ he added before he walked out, leaving you alone.
-
You were standing outside the bar two days later, wearing a red dress and keeping your head down.
You felt people staring at you as they walked past, clearly wondering why you were dressed so nice in a place like this.
Thomas showed up shortly after, getting out of his car and walking over to you with a small grin.
âYou clean up alrightâ he said softly, raising his eyebrows as he looked you up and down.
â..oh⌠thank youâ you replied shyly as you looked him over. You hated the fact that you found him extremely handsome.
He gave you his elbow to hold as he walked you to the car, guiding you into the passenger seat before he began driving.
After driving in silence for a while, he looking over at you. âThereâs no need to be nervousâ he said, sending you felt that way. âIâll be right hereâ he added.
You looked over at him when he spoke, not being able to calm yourself. You gave him a slight nod and smile before you looked back out the window, taking in the view.
When you finally arrived, he got out quickly to open the door for you. He offered you his hand to guide you out which you accepted gently.
âStay close to meâ he said gently.
You kept a hold of his elbow as he guided you through the crowds, he made quick conversations with people around him and introduced you to each of them.
Your mind was racing so much, you could barely remember these peoples faces after greeting them.
You reached a ballroom and noticed everyone dancing in the middle. You couldnât help but notice how beautiful the women were.
You were looking around in awe at these people which Thomas seemed to notice. He smile at you while you were looking away.
âDo you dance?â He asked, the smile not fading from his face as he asked.
âNot wellâ you admitted, feeling a bit nervous but smiling back at him.
âIâm a good teacherâ he said honestly before holding your hand and walking to the dance floor.
He kept your hand in his whilst he brought his other hand to your waist; tugging you towards him slightly.
You felt yourself looking down at your feet, the last time you danced like this was at your graduation and you were terrible.
He brought his hand up to your chin, lifting it gently to make you look up at him.
âEyes on meâ he smirked, secretly enjoying how shy and nervous you were.
âSorryâ you said quickly, little out a soft chuckle.
After a while of dancing together, allowing him to lead you; you felt like you were getting the swing of things.
Thomas chuckled to himself as he watched you, noticing how hard you were concentrating.
âFancy a drink?â He asked.
âYes pleaseâ you answered honestly, knowing alcohol was the best way to loosen you up.
He grinned at you before taking you over to the bar. The crowd drifted a part to let you both through.
He ordered you a glass of wine and a whiskey for himself. The bartender was quick, clearing knowing how important Mr Shelby was around here.
You gave him a quick thank you before you brought the glass to your lips, finishing the drink in a few gulps.
Thomas smiled widely and letting out a laugh, amused by how fast you finished the glass.
âAre you always this nervous?â He chuckled.
â..yesâ you replied with a smile, starting to relax as you noticed the soft look on his face.
âStick by me, love. Youâll be alrightâ he chuckled.
His voice brought a strange warmth to your chest as your eyes locked with his. A strange part of you believed him, somehow trusting the words of a gangster.
don't go Nanamin don't go
Coming Soon...
pg. 2 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Goldilocks ft Chifuyu Matsuno ᯠcw: dubcon
pg. 4 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź The Huntsman ft Fushiguro Megumi ᯠcw: stepcest, dubcon, cheating
pg. 6 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Rumplestiltskin ft Ryomen Sukuna ᯠcw: primal, dubcon, forced breeding
pg. 8 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Lady and the Tramp ft Bokuto Kotaro ᯠcw: hybrids, noncon, breeding
pg. 10 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces ft Prince!Jean + Soldier!Eren ᯠcw: bondage, noncon
pg. 12 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Little Brother and Little Sister ft Mitsuya Takashi ᯠcw: stepcest, dubcon
pg. 14 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź The Princess and The Pea ft Togame Jou ᯠcw: intoxication dubcon, size kink
pg. 16 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Beauty and the Beast ft Suo Hayato ᯠcw: cheating, dacryphilia, dubcon
pg. 18 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź The Little Mermaid ft Bachira Meguru ᯠcw: monsterfucking, kidnapping, dubcon
pg. 20 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź The Devil and His Grandmotherfather ft Serial Killer! Ukai Keishin + Ukai Ikkei ᯠcw: kidnapping, noncon
pg. 22 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź The Two Kings' Children ft Prince! Umemiya Hajime ᯠcw: babytrapping, dubcon
pg. 24 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Cinderella ft Hanma Shuji ᯠcw: stalking, dub/noncon
pg. 26 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Rapunzel ft Haitani Ran ᯠcw: kidnapping, dubcon
pg. 28 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Little Red Riding Hood ft Endo Yamato ᯠcw: cnc, implied noncon at end
pg. 30 ŕ˛âżď¸ľŕź Sleeping Beauty ft The Bofurin Boys ᯠcw: drugging, noncon, gangbang
taglist open : send an ask
wait⌠what about nanami fucking inoâs ass while ino fucks you as a way for nanami to âteach himâ how to fuck you properly but it just ends with ino being so overstimulated between the two of you while nanami pounds his prostate and forces his cock in and out of you because of how hard nanami is pounding him â it would almost feel like nanami was fucking you himself
ino would be borderline crying into your neck about how warm it feels and how heâs never felt so full and so much before ^.^
(donât ask for a full fic pls lol i was just sharing my thots ^3^)
games listed (in order):
- prescription:LOVE
- lurking for love
- the kid at the back
Mohamad has endured immense loss and is now burdened with debt while trying to protect his sister and her five children. He desperately needs our help to secure their safety and give them a fresh start.
Weâve reached 19% of our goal (âŹ3,715/âŹ20,000), but thereâs still a long way to go. Every euro makes a difference. Every share spreads hope.
This isnât about names, backgrounds, or beliefs. Itâs about humanity.
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Gojo did NOT say "I have hope and dreams" this is a bad translation!!!
He said something along the lines of "when [something] happens, I want you to keep going forward, to have hopes and dreams"
çśăăŚăăŁăŚăťăă => I want you to keep going
ĺ¸ćă夢ăăăă => to have hopes and dreams
Japanese doesn't necessarily uses a subject in every sentence, and often Google translate or other automatic translators will use "I" by default.
FeelđlikeđcinderellađŻââď¸naegađbyeonhae đłď¸âđâ¨bisexualâ¨đłď¸âđ XII.X.MMIV
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