スパイス

“Papa, put more sprinkles!” 

“…Thought this was for mama to eat, not you.” 

“More! Sprinkles!” Gemma demanded, stomping her sock-covered foot. MIKEY sighed, but yielded. 

“So bossy,” he muttered, endeared.

“Mm!” Gemma huffed, cheeks puffed out as she pulled on his pant leg. “Up! Up!” 

He shook his head, setting down the sprinkle can before bending in half to hoist the little gremlin up, resting her on his hip. Mikey eyed her for a moment, sleep still clouded in his gaze, but there was a hint of something warmer as he watched her scrutinize his handy work. “t’s the matter? Not to your liking, your highness?” 

Mikey gently bounced her, earning a smile despite her efforts to look serious. She pointed. “Looks wonky.” 

His eyes widened a fraction. Then, he scoffed. “Does not.” 

“Does too.” 

“Nuh-uh.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

The playful back and forth goes on for another minute or so. You could only stand there and gape as your heart struggled to grasp the reality that everything was fine. 

No one was hurt.  No one was dead.

Eventually, Mikey noticed your figure standing in the entryway, resembling a deer in headlights—The shoulder peeking out of your shirt, the dried drool on the side of your face, bonnet halfway off your head—he felt his soul quiver. You were an angel in the eyes of a sinner, blessed to witness every side of you. Gemma, noticing her father’s attention no longer on her, leaned backward to catch your gaze upside down. She giggled, legs kicking in excitement, “Mama!” 

Snapping out of your thoughts, you visibly deflated in relief. With a hand over your chest, you gave a deep exhale. “Why’re you up so early?” 

“Beck-fast!” She replied, pointing to the mess on the counter in front of them. 

Mikey hummed, nodding. “Was gonna bring it to you in bed, but guess we lost track of time.” 

Your eyes trailed over the scene, internally cringing at the mess that you’ll most likely be cleaning later. “I see. But…what’s the occasion?” 

Mikey raised a brow. “Don’t tell me you forgot.” 

You blinked. “Um…it’s…a celebration?” 

The gangster and his mini exchanged a glance. Mikey snorts. “Something like that.” He slowly lowered Gemma as she began to squirm, indicating she wanted to get down. Once her feet touched the floor, that pitter-patter you’d been anticipating earlier finally came as she rushed towards you. You crouched to her, and she immediately jumped in your arms, wrapping her tiny ones around your neck in a great big hug. 

“Happy Mama Day!” 

It hit you like a freight train. Oh. That’s right. 

How could you have possibly forgotten? 

In your defense, the past week had taken quite a toll on you both mentally and physically, the days practically blended together. Not to mention, adjusting to a new dynamic now that your family was made whole again. Needless to say, Mother’s Day wasn’t really on your radar. 

But, it didn’t need to be. Because you had someone special to remind you. Well, two someones. 

You stood up with your daughter snuggled against your side as Mikey approached to show-off their experiment. Despite the fatigue, he couldn’t have looked more pleased. “Yeah. Happy Mama Day, [_____]. The first of many to be shared. Together.” 

Warmth spread through you, blanketed by not the warmth of the sun, but something similar. Something better. You felt a sniffle coming on, tears welling in your eyes as you laid your cheek against your daughter’s head. With a wobbly voice, you couldn’t help yourself as you whispered, “It does look a little wonky.” 

He squinted. Gemma made a sound of triumph. “Told ya!” 

Mikey merely shook his head before dabbing his finger in some of the whipped cream smothered on the top, reaching over to poke Gemma’s nose, then yours for good measure. She squealed in protest, turning to hide her face in your shoulder, effectively smothering more of the cream on you to your dismay. “Geez. This is the thanks I get for slaving over a hot stove. Typical.”

His pout was evident, exaggerated to evoke empathy. It unfortunately did the opposite as you flashed him a teasing glare, followed by a watery chuckle. Wiping your nose with the back of your hand, you licked it off with a hum. “Sweet. Like you. And you.” 

Gemma giggled as you nuzzled against her. Mikey, despite his earlier complaints, couldn’t help but grin softly. He leaned in to place a loving kiss to your sugar-coated lips, then to your cheek before pulling back to look into your eyes. “And you.” 

brought to you by: bonten!dad series

Mikey looked between them. “What.” 

The former cleared his throat, while the latter struggled to hold it together. “Have you seen yourself recently?” 

“What kind of question is that?” 

“I mean…” His eyes flit over to the child happily coloring, then back at him. “She’s certainly tapped into her creative side as of late. Drawing on the walls, handprints all on the windows, and…” Kakucho vaguely gestured. Mikey’s brow twitched, irritation simmering. 

“Spit it out.” 

“The world is her canvas, s’all I’m saying."

"Including your face.” Kakucho side-eyed the lavender-haired man for the comment before shaking his head. 

The platinum blonde blinked. His face? He slowly reached up to feel around the skin, and sure enough. Stickers. Several, in fact. Two on the cheek, one near his eyebrow, forehead and his chin. He peeled one off and looked at it, the word ‘Super!’ staring back at him. “Oh.” 

Looking at his daughter, she continued to color without much care for the conversation happening. Much like her father, her selective hearing was strong. Mikey sighed, “Little menace. Must’ve got me when I was–I mean we were napping. Oi.” 

She looked up at him upon his call, head tilted curiously. All three executives felt a pang in their chest at the devastatingly adorable sight. Mikey steeled himself, attempting to look stern as he presented the sticker. “Wanna explain?” 

Her little brows scrunched in thought. After a brief moment, she beamed as she pointed at him, “Papa, super! Gave stickers, like Mama!” 

Confusion colored his expression until it dawned on him. You’re a school teacher, or were one. Currently you are on maternity leave, cooking her up a baby brother. However, your teaching persona would come out at home, disciplining or rewarding with the same methods, such as stickers. You had a whole tub of school supplies, overflowing with those in particular. And evidently, the little troublemaker had been snooping around in it. 

Unable to hold the stern facade any longer, Mikey offered a small, but rare–Well, rare for his colleague–smile. With a huff, he leaned forward to kiss her forehead before placing the star sticker to the spot, earning him a gleeful giggle in return; the best reward. Ruffling her hair, Mikey spoke with warmth, “I think you’re super.” 

“No, you are!” 

“No, you are,” he parroted, poking her nose. It scrunched up immediately, sending another dreadful pang in his chest. Good thing you were already pregnant with baby number two, otherwise there would be nothing stopping him from ditching work to get on that ASAP. 

The third-in-command cleared his throat. Mikey's smile drops for the second time. “Apologies. We have our meeting with the shareholders in twenty. Sanzu is ready with the car, and the Haitanis agreed to watch over the young miss while we’re gone.” 

“Wouldn’t say we agreed, but beats sitting in on that bullshit.” 

“Watch your mouth.” Mikey warned. “She repeats any of that at home, I’m telling [____] it’s your fault.” 

“Snitching on me to the teacher? That’s low, Boss.” 

“Please don’t take advantage of his good mood.” Kakucho exasperated, rubbing his temple. Ran conceded with a shrug, lowering to level with the little one.

“Alright, mini Boss, you're comin' with uncle Ran. Let’s go make uncle Rin you're next masterpiece.”

Her eyes light up brighter than before, if possible. “Mm!” Dropping her crayons, she pushed herself off the ground to toddle over to the eldest Haitani. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. Turning to Mikey, she rushes to him and falls into his arms for a hug. “Buh-bye, Papa! Wub you!” 

Mikey startled a little but soon relaxed, still getting used to the onslaught of affection she was so full of; seeing so much of you in her everyday. He patted her head, “Me too, sweetheart.” 

“Stickers stay on?” She peered at him, hopeful. 

He stiffened. Opening his mouth to protest, the words turn to ash in his mouth at her pleading gaze. With a sigh, he gave a resigned nod. “I’ll keep them on all day. Promise.” 

Ran and Kakucho exchanged a glance. 

—

Murderers, traffickers, scum of the earth alike couldn’t believe their eyes. 

Colorful stickers, some big and some small, littered across the lethal leader’s face like the inside of a child’s school book. And he sat there. Unperturbed. Unbothered. Unashamed. 

Because who’s gonna check a crashout who loves his kid? 

Your chest heaved after expelling all those pent up emotions onto the poor, unsuspecting man before you. The silence after was more suffocating than your prior feeling of being cornered. Regret started to creep in when neither of you spoke, then came the tears as you quickly ducked your head down to avoid how GRIS was probably looking at you like you were crazy. You waited–For the teardown, for the judgement–for anything you thought was deserved for your childish outburst. But, when nothing came, you had no choice but to hesitantly lift your gaze and find him…waiting. Waiting for…what? 

When your eyes locked, only then did he speak. “There you are. Feel a little better?” 

You blinked. A few tears escaped as you meekly responded. “..what?” 

Gris approached, slowly with hands raised like approaching a frightened stray. When he was close enough, he reached to gently wipe the wet trail off your cheek with his thumb. You stared at him, befuddled. His expression remained calm, despite having every right to be upset with you, he merely offered a grin full of warmth. “That must’ve been weighing on you for some time. I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner that you were struggling with all of those negative thoughts. But, I’m here now. Cry, scream, whatever you need to release it. I’m here.” 

It shocked him when you slammed your bedroom door in his face. ARKHA stood there, dumbfounded. After the initial shock subsided, he chuckled to himself before knocking on the door once more. “Hey now. That wasn’t very nice. And I came all this way to check on you.” 

“...I look disgusting. Go away.” Came your muffled reply. His grin softened.

“I’ve seen some pretty gnarly things in this job, I can assure you that you aren’t one of them. Not even close.” 

He could practically hear the gears turning in your head, no doubt sifting through every excuse in the book to not open the door. It’s not like it’s locked, he could barge in if he really wanted to. But, he wouldn’t dare push you. He chuckled once more, “Alright. I suppose if my beautiful, wonderful, not disgusting significant other isn’t in the mood, then I’ll wait until she is.” 

Arkha pretended to walk away, lightening his footsteps to appear as if he was getting further. Then, he heard the door creak open. “Wait..” 

He turned around, arms already spread. “Oh, there’s my beautiful, wonderful, not disgusting significant other.” You rolled your eyes, but the heat in your face couldn’t be blamed on just your fever. When you opened the door wider, he wasted no time embracing you, kissing your slightly damp forehead. “Sick or not, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” 

He knows. Even if you think you’re a master at masking, BRO will always know. A curl in your lip, a furrow of your brow, a tick in your jaw–All your microexpressions are documented until the core reason eventually reveals itself. And when it does? He’s there with a solution. 

“Here ya go.” He hands you a protein bar. You stared at it blankly. “You’re hungry, right? Packed extra just in case, so don’t worry about it.” 

“Yeah but..how’d you know I was-?”

He shrugged. “You were biting your fingernails.” 

You looked at him, perturbed. Bro rubbed the back of his neck. “D-Dear sometimes does that, too. But he gnaws on his sleeves when Centralian isn’t enough of a distraction.”   

“Oh. Thanks, babe.” Pink lightly dusts on his cheeks, flowers floating around his head, happy that he was on right on the money, as usual.

"Anytime."

“Where in my question do I say anything about eating you? I’m just wondering how you’d taste with honey all over you.” 

He shook his head. “The question is nonsense. I would taste like the honey if I’m covered in it, as would anything else. And it would not be appetizing in the slightest. I’d advise you lick something else.” 

You merely rolled your eyes. 

A grinch-esque smirk would curl on JABBER’s face. Regret immediately overshadowed your curiosity as he approached, leaning against you with his nose pressed to your cheek. You groaned, trying to lean back to give some distance, but he only followed. “Man, watch out.” 

“Nah, nah, don’t run. You can’t tease a man like that and expect him not to get a little excited.~” 

You scoffed, holding your hand to his chest, but he didn’t budge an inch. “A little? You’re vibrating.” When he pressed more into you, you froze. “Wha—I KNOW DAMN WELL THAT AIN’T WHAT I THINK IT IS, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” 

He giggled, licking his teeth. “Let’s start there, yeah? You can heat the honey up real hot, too. Make it burn so good. C’moooon. Y’know you wanna. C’mon, c’mon, c’monc’monc’monc’mon—” 

You’ve opened Pandora’s box and there’s no closing it.

“What in Sam Hill are you talking about?” 

BUNDUS knew nothing of trends or whatever the hell you like to entertain yourself with from time to time, so this would honestly confuse him to all hell. He had just finished polishing his prosthetics, and now he felt like needed to do it again. “You ain’t coverin’ me in nothing unless it’s coming from that there heavenly gate.” 

When he pointed between your legs, you fought back a cackle. “That’s a wild exception to have.” 

“I’m a wild man. But not ‘dirtying my vital instrument with goddamn bee nectar’ kinda wild. That’s a no-go, darlin’.

Another bombastic side-eye. CTHONI wouldn’t respond at first. Her silence should suffice, it was very loud after all. But, clearly you were craving her reaction based on how you continued to stare at her with your big ole eyes she couldn’t resist. With a small sigh, she granted you a simple answer. “Not great.” 

“Wha?? No way! You would taste divine, like a little honeycomb.” You cooed, daydreaming about it. She shook her head at your antics. 

“If you say so.”

“It’s a harmless question,” you coyly shrugged. He shook his head, arms crossed over his chest. 

“Uh-huh. Sure. Definitely doesn’t sound like you’re trynna start something you can’t finish.” 

“Who says I can’t?” 

He raised a brow, tongue in cheek. “Oh? ‘cuse me, that’s my bad. I wasn’t familiar with your game. By all means, let me know when and where. I’ll be there, naked and waiting. Just don’t forget the honey.” 

Bombastic side-eye from TAMSY. Setting his cup down, he sighs softly. “You certainly have an interesting approach in how you flirt with me. Although endearing, some tact would be appreciated next time.” 

You rolled your eyes, “Gimme a break. Your mouth is much filthier than mine.” 

“Perhaps. But only behind closed doors.” He grinned, resting his cheek against his knuckles, gaze full of mirth. “And I wouldn’t phrase it as a hypothetical. More so a promise for later. Like…” 

He leaned in closer, lips brushing against your ear to whisper, “I am going to put honey all over you and lick you up and down. Nice and slow.”

GRIS felt his whole body buckle. After returning from a mission, he stopped by your room after his shower to spend some much needed quality time in your presence. Showing up in a tight fitted tanktop was one thing. Showing up in a tight fitted tanktop after a shower and damp hair, pushed back to expose his forehead? That’s a recipe for a visceral, yet understandable, reaction. 

Although his back was turned, you could clearly see the effect your words had on him from how red his ears became almost immediately. He cleared his throat, voice tight. “Don’t…just say things like that out of the blue. My heart can’t take it.” 

You smirked, eyeing him down. “Your heart or your coc-”

“Hey.” He scolded, glaring at you softly from over his shoulder, face flushed something terrible.

“WHOA. Wanna find out??” 

AUGUST would instantly be on board. It didn’t even have to be honey, you could cover him in chocolate, syrup, ketchup–Hell, forget the condiments, you could just lick him all over just because!–and best believe he’ll rope you into the mix so that you could be sticky together. The thought alone would have him salivating at the mouth. “Mmm, bet you’d taste like heaven on earth.~” 

You chuckled, teasing him further. “Yeah? You really think so?” 

“HELLS YEAH I DO. We should do it right now! Wanna make such a beautiful mess with you, my muse!~” 

ARKHA paused from reading his paperwork. Looking up at you with amusement already swirling in his gaze, he placed the document down in favor of providing you his undivided attention. Interlocking his fingers to rest his chin atop his knuckles, he gave his input on the matter. “I would say it depends on the kind of honey you’d use. I like when it’s 100% raw, myself. Wouldn’t you agree?” 

“...Are…we’re still talking about honey, right?” 

His grin widened a little. “Are we?”

“Don’t even fix your mouth to ask that bullshit.” 

Before you even had a chance, SEMIU had shut you down. You crossed your arms with a huff, visibly deflated. “No fair. You could indulge me at least.” 

“I could. But I won’t.” She eyed you over the rim of her glasses, ghost of a grin on her face. “You need to be putting that energy into your work and not them silly-ass fantasies. Save those for afterhours. And if you get all that done before then…I might indulge you then.” 

You perked up like a hound. “Yes, ma’am!” With a salute, you hightailed it out of there leaving nothing but a smoke cloud, determined to finish today’s paperwork and tomorrow’s for good measure. She shook her head at your eagerness, but was endeared all the same. 

“Are you and [____] using protection?” 

The ravenette choked on his instant noodles. Ryoko paid no mind to her son fighting for his life, merely standing with a laundry basket of wet clothes on her hip, expectant. It was so casual you would’ve thought she asked if he took out the trash. Once his airways were cleared of the processed food, Baji croaked, “Hah?”

“You better be. Don’t think a baby’s gonna get you out of university, Keisuke.” She replied, borderline threatened, as she made her way to the balcony. 

Baji spluttered, “What the hell are you talking about?!”  

“Don’t curse at your mother!” 

“Well quit saying crazy shit!” 

He swiftly dodged a clothes pin aimed at his head. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quick enough to miss the balled up, damp shirt that came soon after. Hitting him square in the face with a small thwap! Baji growled under his breath before peeling it off his head, fixing his mother a half-hearted glare. 

She ignored it, going about her business as she spoke, “I have eyes. You two aren’t exactly as subtle as you think.” 

Baji stiffened. He cleared his throat. “…Don’t know what you mean.”

Ryoko raised a brow. Then, like a rabbit out of a hat, she presented a pair of crimson red lacy panties. “I should assume these are yours then?” 

His eyes widened in horror. Like a bat out of hell, Baji shot up from his chair, sending it backward onto the floor. Borderline diving for the garment, he was unfortunately a second too late, Ryoko snatching it back and turning to hang it up with the rest of the laundry. She then turned with a knowing grin, crossing her arms whilst he stood there, dumbfounded. 

There’s an uncomfortably long pause. 

Baji eventually deflated, eyes jetted elsewhere in embarrassment. “It isn’t even like that…” 

She rolled her eyes. “Unless I raised a panty thief, I suggest you tell your mother the truth.” 

He nearly choked once more. If possible, one would be able to see steam shooting out his reddened ears. Baji sighed heavily, then grumbled out, “Alright fine, we’re a thing, whatever, no big deal.” 

“And?” 

“...And using protection. We ain’t stupid.” 

With a pleased hum, Ryoko continued the laundry. “Never said you were. Just wanted to make sure.” 

Eyeing her warily, Baji’s shoulders raised a little. “You’re not mad?”

Her brows scrunched, “Mad? I’m relieved. I was worried the only thing in that thick head of yours was delinquency and giving me gray hairs,” he squinted, mildly offended. “And for it to be with a lovely girl like [____], I couldn’t ask for a better daughter-in-law.” 

Three strikes, he’s out. Baji’s biggest op was oxygen at this point, keeling over whilst trying to keep his lungs intact, tears welling in his eyes from just how visceral his body’s reaction was. His mother finished hanging up the clothes, acting none the wiser to her son’s predicament as she daydreamed about the wedding day. “However. I don’t want any more funny business under my roof, Keisuke. Got it?” 

She bonked his head in passing, leaving him to struggle between a head and chest ache. 

Later that evening, you received a text message from the ravenette. After finishing your everything shower, you thought he was about to cancel, only to read it and find it was much worse. 

‘Good news: Ma’s happy we’re dating. Bad news: She knows we fucked in the house.’ Attached was a photo of your panties, sticking out like a sore thumb in the midst of all the other items. 

Yikes. Maybe tossing those god-knows-where in his room wasn't the brightest idea. But it wasn't your fault! Being in the moment, the last thing you were thinking about was neatly setting them aside to pick up right after fooling around under the sheets. Safe to say...you won't be visiting for quite some time. You'll keep your head down if you see her around, avoid walking past their door by scaling down the building like goddamn Spiderman if you must. But, that plan was immediately thwarted when you received another text.

'Also...she invited you to dinner. And she ain't taking no for an answer.'

Double yikes. You closed your eyes in resignation, inhaling deeply through your nose.

Well. At least you get to thank her in person for washing your clothes.

If you didn’t pass the Mama Miya test, you were OUT. 

GONE. 

EVICTED.

Without question, ATSUMU and OSAMU would drop you like a bad habit if their mother didn’t fuck with you. Because what kind of demonic energy do you carry to make such a nice lady dislike you after the first impression? Some may accuse her of being a toxic boy mom, stiff-arming any girl that tries to get with her precious baby boys…

*Loud buzzer sound* WRONG. 

She wants nothing more than for her boys to find love, to be loved, to love so hard it makes them sick with it. However, that doesn’t mean she’ll sacrifice her expectations for a pretty face that knows how to spew pretty words just for the sake of impressing her. Be anything less than genuine and you would be voted off the island in seconds. She can smell bullshit from a mile away, and they will happily bust out the febreze. 

So you can imagine how absolutely elated they were when you passed with flying colors. 

You were polite, showed up with homemade goodies, complimented her home, and were genuine about it. She could tell based on how you gushed over the curtains she got for a steal, even sharing some of your etsy shop recommendations in case she wanted more items like those at a reasonable price. Mama Miya was pretty much sold at that point. 

Unfortunately, things were about to get complicated. 

When her sons pulled her to the side to have a private conversation while you helped yourself to some tea in the living room, they decided that now was a good time to drop the bomb on her. 

“I beg yer finest pardon?” She blinked, utterly flabbergasted. 

They shuffled where they stood, feeling like a couple of foxes caught in the hen house. It wasn’t until Atsumu nudged his brother in the arm, harshly mind you, did the awkward silence end. Osamu glared at him before giving a long sigh. “Look..we know it sounds bad-” 

“Oh, did ya now? Mm. Can’t imagine how one would come to that conclusion.” She sarcastically cut. They winced. “I mean, honestly, ya may share a face, don’t mean ya should share a partner too. Call me old fashioned but this is a horrible idea.” 

“t’s not like we haven’t thought this through, Ma. If she ain’t comfortable with the idea, we ain’t gonna force it.” 

“And then what? You’ll flip a coin, see who gets dibs?” 

Peeking around the corner, she stiffened when your eyes caught each other’s. You, oblivious, waved happily while holding up your teacup. “This blend is really delicious, Miya-san!” 

She waved back with a strained chuckle, “Thank you, sweetie, have as much as you’d like!” Ducking back behind the corner, her smile instantly dropped as she sternly gazed at her knuckle-headed sons. “That poor girl don’t deserve whatever silly game ya both are playin’ at.” 

Atsumu finally decided to speak up, a little defensive. “It ain’t like that, Ma. We wanted ya to meet before we took it any further.” 

Mama Miya crossed her arms. “And how far are you plannin’ to take this exactly?” 

“Y’know ‘samu and I never usually agree on anythin’. But…we both like this one. A lot. And we agreed that if ya liked her too, then we would leave it up to her to decide. Whether it’s one of us, both of us or neither of us…we just need to make sure ya approved of her first…” 

If looks could kill, she would be standing in front of twin caskets. She quietly worked her jaw, brows knitted tight as she tapped her foot. The twins waited with baited breath, hearts pounding in their chest. If she truly felt uncomfortable with this whole ordeal, then they wouldn’t hesitate to just call the whole thing off, despite it paining them to think that meant letting such a nice girl like you slip away, all because they’re too stubborn to let the other have you. One internal battle later, Mama Miya deeply exhaled. 

“I adore her.” The twins perked up, metaphorical ears pointed high as identical smiles slowly began to form. “But. I still think this is a horrible idea. So don’t come cryin’ to me if this blows up in yer faces.”  

Atsumu was the first to wrap her in a tight hug, littering kisses across the side of her face. Osamu joined soon after, smothering the other side with an equal amount of love. Mama Miya may’ve looked annoyed, but there was no denying the endearment hidden beneath her eyeroll. “Alright, alright. Quit yer smotherin’.” 

“Ya love it.” The blonde declared, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. She merely exhaled once more, shaking her head. 

Osamu pulled away, smile softening as he muttered, “Thanks, Ma.” 

She smiled back, cheekily. “Oh, wouldn’t thank me so soon. ‘m gonna show her all yer baby pictures.” 

Both their smiles dropped. They clearly didn't think this all the way through.

When KAGEYAMA saw the update, he blankly stared at it. Don’t these people have anything better to do with their time? He kissed his teeth in mild annoyance.

“Pain in the ass…” he muttered. “Oi. Don’t check your socials for a while. Matter of fact, delete all of them and start over.”

You gave a muffled reply, head smooshed against his chest as you koalaed against him. He jerked at the feel of your teeth playfully biting into his pec before you turned your head sideways to look up at his glare. “Why?”

He huffed, angling his phone so that you could read and weep. Instead, after your eyes briefly scanned the screen, a smug grin formed. You reached up to clumsily poke his cheek, nearly getting him in the eye. “Scored higher than you, loser.”

He grumbled. “Shut up. That’s not a flex.”

“Oo, is that bitterness I hear?” You poked him again, a soft grunt your only warning before you’re shrouded in darkness. “Mmfh!!”

Kageyama’s free hand gripped the back of your head like a volleyball and shoved your face back into his chest, trapped in a small headlock while his thumb glided across the screen. You wiggled, you squirmed, you slapped, but he didn’t budge. It’s not until you latched onto his pec like a suckling piranha did he release you with a hiss. “Ow. Quit that, you vampire.”

Right after he finished typing, Kageyama tossed his phone carelessly on the bed, immediately squaring up to lay his entire weight on you as retaliation. You tried to crawl away but he was always faster, grabbing the back of your knees and tugging you back. Squealed-laughter spilled from you as the two of you playfully wrestled, him forcing down amusement by masking it with pursed lips. “Let’s see how you like it.”

“G-Get off me! You’re a six, you aren’t worthy!” You exclaimed, teasingly. A wheeze was pulled from you as he flattened out on top of you. “Oof. Tobio!”

“Say I’m a ten.”

“Never!”

“Say it.”

He nips at your shoulder, earning a soft yelp. Kageyama started to play dirty by slipping his fingers beneath your shirt, grazing your sides and eliciting more laughter out of you. This time he chuckled, continuing to ambush you with more playful bites and touches. While the two of you indulged in each other his phone laid inches away, discarded and forgotten. The post, still displayed on the screen, had a comment left by the bitter boy-toy himself.

@/kags_9: Unemployed behavior. Put this much effort in a job application and leave us alone.

—

AKAASHI felt like he aged five years upon seeing your face attached to that accursed list. He nearly spit out his drink in the process, only to end up choking instead. You eyed him, reaching across the table to heavily pat his back to help clear his airway. “Baby, are you alright??”

He still hadn’t recovered from his own post. It felt like only yesterday–the humiliation, the devastation. He refused to have you experience the same. Although yours was way more tasteful compared to his, it still sparked a bitter feeling in his stomach that someone on campus would paint you in this sort of light. “Keiji?”

His head shot up, not realizing how loud his facial expressions were as he stared at the screen. Akaashi quickly shut off and pocketed his phone, reaching up to hold your hand that was patting him seconds prior. He gave a reassuring squeeze. “‘m fine. Went down the wrong pipe, that’s all.”

“I’ll say. Did Bokuto accidentally send you an unsolicited picture of himself again?”

“I fear it’s worse than that.” He sighed, thumbing his temple.

You grinned. “It was never an accident?”

Akaashi fixed you a deadpanned look. With another sigh, he decided telling you the actual reason was better than having you think…that. Hesitantly, he pulled his phone back out, unlocked it, and handed it to you. It was still open on the forum, your face plastered front and center. This time, it was your turn to choke.

Your boyfriend reached over to return the favor from earlier, patting your back with a resigned grin. “Yep. Slow breaths, darling. There ya go.”

After calming from your brief fit, you continued to stare widely at the words on the screen. Scrolling through the post to make sure it wasn’t a joke, you could only respond with a disbelieved chortle. “I don’t believe this…”

“Welcome to my world.”

“I mean, wow. I’m both disturbed…and flattered.”

He blinked at you. “I’m sorry, flattered?”

You shrugged, “Well, yeah! I didn’t think this sort of thing was made to consider people like me in that way.”

“…what do you mean by that?”

You saw his gaze sharpen, determination furrowed into his brow. Quickly, you corrected the subtle self-deprecation with a wave of your hand, “Ah, wait, not talking down on myself or anything. Just that…you know, it was clear who they wanted on the list from the jump. Hot, athletic, popular…like you.”

Despite the flush on his face, Akaashi scoffed. “Don’t try to flatter me now. You’re already all of those things, and more, way before they said anything about it.”

Feeling warmth creep up your neck you went to cover your face in embarrassment. Akaashi, always the observer, saw it coming a mile away and grabbed your hands before you could. He gazed into your eyes, full of sincerity and love. “I’ll agree that stupid list got something right for once. You’re certainly a jewel. And I’m the lucky rock who gets to keep you.”

You stammered. “Y-You are so not a rock!”

“Mmhm, totally a rock. A jagged one, too.” The corner of his mouth upturned in amusement as you looked genuinely offended he would label himself as such. You began to shower him with praise, of which sparked into a battle of who could compliment who the most.

This went on for almost an hour, the sappiest argument ever in history. The only reason it didn’t prolong until sunset was because you had an evening class to catch. With threats to continue the debate at his dorm later, you parted ways with a sweet kiss and a clear head; list now an afterthought and full of Akaashi. Just how he liked it.

When you were out of sight, Akaashi grabbed his phone to type away a response underneath the post.

@/keiji-95: Brownie points for gassing up my s/o. But I’ll take it from here and forever, thanks.

—

ATSUMU would be flabbergasted. Those bozos had the nerve to throw shots at him, kicking a man while he’s already down. First they mixed him up with his brother, then got him clowned three ways to Sunday, causing all sorts of headaches—And now this? Shamelessly making moves on his partner on Beyoncé’s internet? He wasn’t having it. This meant war. You walk in on him vigorously tap tap tapping away on his phone, tongue poked out and concentration stitched across his face.

You chortled. “Those are some aggressive thumbs you got there.”

He huffed. “Good. Hope they feel the aggression through the screen. Like tiny knives right in their fuckass eyeballs.” Atsumu made a show of jabbing his pointer finger on the screen as he hit post, like personified punctuation.

With a raised brow, you sat down beside him on the sofa. Leaning into his side, you peered at the offending device with curiosity. “You get ragebaited into a debate or something?”

“Defending yer honor, actually." He proudly turned the phone to you.

You read his reply:

@/a_miya: 'He knows who he is' uhh do yall??? Think ur so clever but can’t tell two people apart like a dumbass. LMAO

Without context, it’s giving a lunatic screaming in the middle of the street about nothing. With context, it’s giving a lunatic screaming in the middle of the street about nothing, but with an audience. “Hm. This reads more like you’re defending your honor than mine.”

“Eh, semantics.”

You rolled your eyes, “Yeah, ok, semantics. Don’t entertain their shit, ‘tsum. It’s what they want.”

“Easy for you t’say. They ain’t calling you out yer name. Intentionally or otherwise, but I know for a fuckin’ fact it’s intentional,” he grumbled. “‘Boy-toy’, hmph.”

“Mm, nothing to be ashamed of. You’re my favorite.” You teased, reaching up to card your fingers through his hair. Atsumu side-eyed you, unamused.

“I better be the one and only.”

“Uh huh, sure.”

His frown deepened. Thumbing around on his phone again, he searched his private folder, “I’m postin’ one of our sex videos to remind these losers to stay in their lane.”

“Knock yourself out. It’s only gonna draw more toys into my box.” You gently patted your pelvis, winking. He paused, then bristled like a startled hen, ears turning fire engine red.

“D-Don’t even joke like that! Do ya want me to swan dive off a building, ‘cause I will! And you’ll be so sad at my funeral.”

You pursed your lips, “Mm, yeah, I would be. But, that’s the beauty of having a twin. I’ll slap a wig on ‘samu, it’ll be like you never left.”

Atsumu gapped, squinting at you. “You’d replace me with my own brother? Just like that? Wow. Total downgrade. And ya know he’s taken, right?”

“I’m sure his s/o wouldn’t mind a throuple.”

He gagged, “Ew, why would ya put that image in my head?!”

“You’re the one talking about swan-dives and funerals, I’m just planning ahead. Wouldn’t you want me to be taken care of?”

“Not by ‘samu! Would rather ya give one of these weirdos a shot than him. Actually, take that back, ‘m just gonna haunt yer ass, dick ya down from beyond the grave. Way bigger than his by the way.”

Shaking your head you laid on shoulder. “We’re losing the plot. I don’t want your brother, or anyone else for that matter, no matter how much brown-nosing they do. You are it for me, dead or alive. Preferably alive.”

Atsumu’s glare softened, beaming with pride as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulling you in close. “Damn right.”

—

“Ah, shit.”

“What’s wrong?”

“They hit the pentagon.”

Your brows furrowed, looking up at KENMA from his beanbag chair. While on a break from assignments, gaming as usual, all of the sudden there’s discourse going on his discord. He didn’t think much of it until the notifs got annoying, going in just to silence the chat until he saw what it was that was causing such a stir. Hinata was the one to send it; the dreaded post. Kuroo and the others were the ones fueling the conversation, sending various gifs and stickers, most of them aimed at Kenma to poke fun. His face turned sour.

By now, you stood up and walked over to his desk, leaning against his chair to peer at his screen. “Who hit the pentagon?”

“That dumb list, they posted about you.”

You blinked, bewildered. “Me?”

Kenma nodded, scrolling back to it so that you could read it for yourself, “Yeah. Guess they’re back on their bullshit. I’m gonna have my subscribers mass report their account.”

“Dummy, don’t weaponize your fans, not for something ridiculous like this.” You snorted, gently flicking his forehead. He pouted slightly but his face slowly relaxed from the displeasure.

“…You’re taking this surprisingly well. You were in shambles when I got posted. What gives?”

With a chuckle, you kissed the spot you flicked before turning back to resume lounging. “You were the one who said it’s nothing but a fantasy, that they’ll get bored and move on to someone else, remember? Just taking a page from your book.”

Kenma blinked for a moment. Oh, yeah. Guess he did say that. But, this was different. You weren’t a recluse like him. You made effort to be more sociable. People would absolutely take this opportunity to act on their unhinged desires towards you. Not like you’d pay it any mind, but still. It’s the principle. “Tsk. Whatever. I’ll hack into the account and delete it myself.”

“Not tonight you won’t. It’s almost midnight and you still have that paper to finish. Priorities, Kenny. And that dumb forum isn’t worth the energy.”

Kenma made a disgruntled noise, going to argue but knew it was a losing battle. You’d deprive him of cuddles if he slacked off. Besides, you were right. It brought nothing but trouble and interacting with it further was pointless. He sighed, getting ready to shut everything down for now. But not before leaving a parting message for the OP.

@/kzm_ken: L + ratio + skill issue. Stay bitchless.

HINATA will never forgive them for outing his nipple piercings to the public before you had the chance to see them. Forever he’ll have a personal bone to pick. And it only worsened when he saw what they posted about you. “Man, you weren’t kidding. These pigeons are relentless.”

You gazed at him in mirth. “Vultures, Sho. Not pigeons.” 

He huffed, lower lip stuck out. “Whatever bird they are, they’re annoying. As if ruining my surprise wasn’t enough, now they’re trying to make moves on you. Talk about a kick in the pants.” 

“It’s a bit hard to take it seriously when they use words like ‘ooze’. Makes me sound like a swamp monster or something. Plus, they scored me stupid high. What even are the parameters behind this scaling process? I mean, I’m decent looking and all, but-” 

“Whoa, there’s no ‘but’! Get that but outta that sentence!” 

Hinata dropped his phone to grab your face, squishing your cheeks together to force your lips to pucker. Blinking at him, you attempted to speak only to be silenced as he placed a fat kiss on your lips. After he pulled away, he gazed at you with sheer determination. “Decent looking? You are an infinite hottie, one hundred percent! Just ‘cause that dumb list said it doesn’t mean it’s untrue, I always thought it. I’ll get it tattooed on my forehead if I have to.” 

“Pleesh don,” you slurred. Pulling your face from his grip, you massaged at the skin before fixing him a grin. “I think you’ve done enough body modifications for now. No need to get drastic. But, thank you, baby. You’re sweet. Way sweeter than those pigeons.” 

He pouted again, “Hey, don’t make fun of me, I couldn’t remember which bird you said! There’s a lot of birds in the world y’know…” 

With a giggle, you ruffled his hair affectionately. “Yes, I know, my little crow.” 

@/sh0_yo: My s/o! You can’t have them BLEH >:P

—

“Baby, please come out from under there, it’s not the end of the world.” 

“Yes it is…” BOKUTO replied, continuing to sulk under the table in the study room. “You’re gonna have tons of people flooding your inbox, you’ll find someone better, and then you’ll leave me.” 

You sighed, tilting your head to get a better angle of him. “That’s nonsense and you know it.” 

He sniffled, but didn’t budge. You sighed once more, crouching down to sit on your haunches. Reaching over, you carded through his droopy hair in a soothing motion, nails racking over his scalp to coax him another way. You could hear him subtly croon, leaning into your touch despite himself. “You’ll always be my number one. I could never find anyone better than you, and I don’t want to. You trust me, don’t you?” 

Bokuto perked up at the slightest bit of doubt in your voice, like a hound to a whistle. Unraveling from his burrowed limbs, he almost knocked his head on the table with how fast he tried to crawl towards you. “Of course I do, with my life. I trust you more than anyone. More than Akaashi!...Don’t tell him I said that.” 

You snorted, scooching back just a little to give him room to crawl out from the table. Finally. 

“My lips are sealed. As long as you remember it’s always going to be us against them. Same team, no matter what.” You held out your pinky for him, earnest. The silver-haired owl instantly inflated, eyes bright and grin wide as he did you one better by engulfing you in his arms. You fell backward from the sudden weight, but he was swift to cushion your fall, hand behind your head and tucked into his chest protectively. “A-Ah, Ko, this carpet is filthy! Don’t roll us around in it-”

“Hey, hey, hey! The best duo to ever do it! No one’ll reach our level, they’ll choke on our dust!” 

You hacked, “I’m the one choking on dust here, stand us up, Kotaro!” 

“...My bad.” 

@/bk01: no opps on our team, stay on your side of the net!

—

Offended, but for the wrong reasons. KUROO would look at the post as some sort of poetic irony. Just a few weeks back, he was the target, being consoled by you and his friends for the humiliation ritual this was. Now, you were the one being broadcasted; what goes around comes around. You sent it to him with the tired-eyed emoji attached at the bottom, and a message that read: “Guess I’m a part of the club now.” The rooster-head snorted at that, replying about Kenma getting you fitted for an honorary jacket to be cheeky. You sent back the middle finger emoji.

Before his meeting with his advisor to switch electives, he took a moment to read over the post in full. His wry smirk grew with each line, tailing into a humorless laugh at the closing line– ‘DM us if you ever get bored of your boy-toy, [_____]. He knows who he is’. Like, excuse the fuck out of him. Bold claim, factually incorrect, but bold. He’ll give them props for pettiness, but that’s about it. After experiencing the walk of shame that comes with being posted on this forum himself, hard to take the small dig seriously when they were singing his praises not that long ago. Went from “good boy” to “boy-toy” in less than a month.

At least they didn’t post a shirtless picture of you like they did him. All the more reason to believe favoritism was at play. He was able to get a reply in before he got called in for his appointment, pocketing his phone without a care left to give for the accursed list.

@/k-roo: sneak dissing now? how the mighty have fallen

You and OSAMU were in the middle of an aftercare session when you got the notification. While he was bringing back water and towels, you were laid flat on your back with your phone angled above your head. Scrolling through your feed, you nearly dropped the phone on your face in shock.

“Aw, what? Nooo!” You whined, sitting up in distress. Osamu hastily padded down the hall, nearly slipping from turning the corner too quickly.

“What? What is it? Got a cramp? Ya bleeding?”

“Worse. I’ve been chosen.”

He pursed his lips, brow raised. “Uh…for..? Jury duty? Second comin’ of Christ, what?”

You tossed your phone to the edge of the bed. He tossed you a water bottle in exchange, snatching up the device to squint at the screen. After taking a second to read it, he hummed. “Ah. That.”

“Yes, bro, that.”

“First of all, just blew yer back out, not a ‘bro’. Second of all, this is straight propaganda. Got ya soundin’ like some kinda succubus, when I’m the one usually doin’ most of the work.”

You rolled your eyes, “Whatever, don’t act like you weren’t just on your knees for me, big boy.”

“Doesn’t count, was already down there on my own free will. Besides, too busy with yer face in the pillow to care about makin’ a mess outta me.”

“Shut up,” you threw said pillow, which he caught and threw back at you with the precision of a sharp shooter. “Ack! Hey!”

“Lay back down so I can clean ya up, yer majesty.”

@/o_miya: quit gassin’ up my s/o, their head’s fat enough.

—

Disgusted. That’s the simplest way to describe how your boyfriend, SAKUSA, felt after learning that list was still alive and kicking. And to add insult to injury, you were on it now, too. With him wearing a mask, his furrowed brows were your only indication of said displeasure as he muttered, “Tsk. I told you it was a bad omen. Now we’re both doomed.”

“C’mon, Omi,” you cooed, teasing the strap to his mask. He lazily swatted you away. “You’re not still sour about that, are you? It wasn’t my fault, the timing of yours was purely coincidental! Plus, I tried to protect your peace of mind by hiding it, but Atsumu was unfortunately faster…”

“I’m not worried about that blonde idiot having leverage over me from this. I’m talking about the influx of germs that’ll be flocking to us. That’s quadruple the amount I’m accustomed to. I think we’ll need time apart until this blows over.”

You gaped, “You are not breaking up with me over some bullshit list, Kyoomi Sakusa.”

“What—No.” He squinted at you, as if the implication alone was absurd. “Don’t be dumb. I’m not breaking up with you.”

“Well don’t phrase it like you are, then!” You huffed, arms crossed tightly over your chest. Sakusa exhaled, shaking his head.

“Let me rephrase then. We interact strictly in the privacy of our homes and nowhere else. Meaning you can’t come to practices, I can’t pick you up from classes, we’ll have to configure a secret route to shake off any stragglers-”

“Geez, we aren’t fugitives on the run, Omi. Look, we’ll continue our routine as normal, because doing otherwise is silly, and I’ll protect you from the hoards of germs that may come our way. I’ll equip myself with disinfectant spray, extra masks, sage-” he glared pointedly, “whatever it takes. No bacillus, bug, nor virus will stand a chance against me.”

You made a show of puffing out your chest, foot on chair in superhero fashion. Sakusa merely stared at you, unmoving. Then, only for the keen eye to notice, his glare melting into amusement. He snorted, trying to play it off as clearing his throat.

“My hero.” He replied, sardonically.

@/sakusa_: My s/o’s prepared to take on your filth. I’m not. Stay away from us.

Oh, this man was pissed. Does OIKAWA get showered in praise and compliments from strangers practically everyday, yes. Would he be considered a hypocrite for having an issue with you being treated the same, absolutely. Is that going to stop him from having an issue? Absolutely not.

Call him possessive, call him jealous, call him childish, call him late for dinner—He didn’t care. There was no way in hell some basement dweller was going to make passes at you on his watch.

@/oinks1: HAHAHAHA you’d have a better chance at finding water in hell. my s/o wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. keep dreaming pal and never wake up.

“Jesus Christ, Tooru.”

“What?? They wanted a battle, so I brought a war. Maybe they’ll think twice next time before trying to be a homewrecker, hmph.”

With a resigned sigh, you reached up to flick him hard on the forehead. “Ouch! MEAN.”

“Idiot. Don’t go picking unnecessary fights, especially with nameless profiles on the internet. What if you get doxed or harassed?”

Soothing the sore spot, he huffed. “Have you seen my following? They wouldn’t dare. I’m practically a public figure.”

“Which is all the more reason not to get into an argument online. Your tweets can come back to haunt you ten years from now.”

“Well, all they’re gonna see is a loyal partner defending his relationship against trolls. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I’m ashamed.”

He gaped. “Just stab me already, it’ll hurt less than your words!”

There was no fighting your grin at his dramatic display, your arms open and ready for him as he immediately threw himself into them.

—

“The hell am I looking at?”

You presented the post to IWAIZUMI like a trophy. Honestly, you were stoked to see yourself on the forum. It was a total ego booster, who wouldn’t want people pointing out how luscious your ass looked in your photo, or how you gave off such ‘bad-bitch energy’? Clearly, your boyfriend wasn’t a fan. But, what else was new.

“Tsk. Thought we agreed to block them.” He said, turning back to the stove.

“No, you agreed. I just nodded along while I watched your tits bounce during your treadmill workout.”

He paused. Then, took a deep inhale, and resumed cooking. “Gonna ignore that. Block them.”

You pouted, “Aren’t you at least going to read it?”

“Don’t have to. I already know you’re one in a million, baby. That’s why I made you mine.”

“Okay, but-” He finished plating your food, and laid it in front of you. Grinning at your train of thought derailing in real time, he soon rounded the counter to place a sweet kiss to your temple before leaning down to whisper in your ear.

“No buts, unless it’s yours,” his hand reached down to squeeze one cheek, making you squeak, “sitting and eating the food I slaved over.”

You playfully slapped his shoulder, yet found yourself doing just that soon after. Clasping your hands together, you thanked for the meal. With your eyes closed, Iwa smoothly grabbed your forgotten phone to do what should’ve been done once and for all.

@/iwa4: blocked.

—

MATTSUN wouldn’t even bat an eye.

His only reply to the addition would consist of:

@/mtt2un: there’s still time to delete this btw

And you, you knew nothing about the list, so this being your introduction to it was definitely something. His nonchalant demeanor to the post eased most of your worry, but there was still worry. He watched as you chewed on your thumbnail, scrolling through the floods of comments and down bad antics. Every expression you made the more you read was his own entertainment, egging it on just to make that adorable pout of yours more prominent.

“…I don’t think I like this.” You eventually voiced. He snickered, toying with a strand of your hair.

“Yeah? Took ya long enough to come to that conclusion, don’t you think?”

You huffed, “I wanted to give it a fair chance, see what the fuss was about. And…I don’t get it. I mean, how can they say this stuff so confidently about someone they don’t know?”

He shrugged, “Dunno. That’s the appeal I guess. They don’t know, so they paint a picture based on your looks and stuff. Surface level.”

“Do you have a post like this, too?” You asked, looking up at him. Mattsun looked back at you with low eyes, lips pursed as he contemplated telling the truth. But, he didn’t need to. His silence said enough. You groaned, “Oh god, you do. What didn’t you tell me, what did they say?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” He kissed your forehead, but it did nothing to qualm your curiosity.

You sat up in his lap, tugging on his shirt. “Don’t give me that, I wanna know what they said, don’t leave me in the dark!”

“Trust me, sweets, it’s nowhere near as interesting as yours. You even got a higher rating than I did.”

“I did? What rating did you get??”

Mattsun smirked, “Doesn’t matter, just know it means you fuck better than I do. And I can attest to that.”

You gasped. He gave a deep laugh, wrapping you closer to his body. Heat spread throughout yours in mild embarrassment, but a small part of you felt smug. “So vulgar…”

“You love it.” He playfully nipped at your ear.

—

You shoved the phone in HANAMAKI’s face, yours twisted with scorn. “You did this.”

His head jerked back slightly at the sudden brightness, squinty-blinking through the pain as he looked between you and the phone. “I haven’t moved from this spot since this morning. I’m innocent, I tell ya.”

“False. Read it.” Tossing the phone in his lap, he gave a small groan.

“We’re ’posed to be on break or whatever, no reading allowed.” Despite his protest he did what you asked, picking up and holding the device above his head to lazily skim over the post in question. Soon, his disinterest turned to bemusement in a matter of seconds as he burst into a fit of giggles. “Oh, you’re fuckin’ kidding me. Is this forreal? Please tell me this is real.”

“It’s not funny. My friends saw it! Please tell me you had nothing to do with this…”

He looked up at you, disbelieved. “Uh, I’m insulted you’d think so. I would’ve been wayyy more raunchier, and given visual evidence to back it up. This? This is amateur hour.”

“Takehiro.”

“Hey, cross my heart and all that, my hands are clean, baby.”

After staring him down for a moment, you eventually relented. It’s not like you honestly thought he was the culprit, but you couldn’t be too sure. Knowing his antics, it didn’t hurt to ask. You slumped against the back of the couch, “I can never show my face in public again.”

Maki rolled his eyes, “Relax, this is for the chronically online, normal people won’t approach you about this. And if they do, you have plausible deniability.”

“How? My face is attached to it.”

He shrugged, “Say it’s AI. That usually does the trick.”

You huffed, “You make it sound so simple…”

“That’s because you’re making it unnecessarily hard for yourself. No one gave a shit about my post after a week or two. Did bring more traction to my content, though. If I get, like, thirty more monthly subscribers, could probably pay off both our tuitions, tops.”

“Holy shit, really?” You say upright, eyes bulging out of your head. He nodded, grinning from ear to ear. You paused. Neither of you spoke as you stared each other down, as if there was already an unspoken understanding. Then, you sighed. “How much you think would be accumulated if...there’s two people involved?”

His grin turned sly, “That would be ‘fuck it and drop out’ money.”

“…Goddammit.”

@/h3ro: womp womp. anyways, support my onlyfans - link in bio. special guest appearance for tonight’s stream only. limited slots open.

SUNA would already be over it at this point. It was like beating a dead horse, but in this case it would be beating its skeleton with how old this trend got fast, for him at least. Seeing your face posted up would earn maybe air pushed through his nose, but other than that, little to no reaction.

However, he can’t seem to stop reading it. Over, and over, and over again. Whether it’s because it fascinated him or annoyed him enough to not look away, it’s that last line that really sticks with him.

‘DM us if you ever get bored of your boy-toy’. It’s so simple, yet it irks him deeply within. Was it the implication of an invitation that pissed him off? The fact it was made publicly, knowing he would see it, was that it? Either way, he hated it. He was indifferent about the list from the beginning, and all they’re doing is justifying it.

“Tsk.”

@/s_rin: cringe, thirst after someone actually in your league

—

This man wasted no time reporting this to student affairs. ARAN wasn’t about to have anyone say such things about you like how they tried to do him, and he’ll be damned if this leads all the way back to his wacko ex again. Might as well nip this in the bud before it has the chance to grow. Again.

@/ar4n: @/officialstudent-affairs.

Before you even had the chance to announce the news to him, he already took care of it. Right as you approached him in the canteen, phone in hand and ready to present the post, it was already gone. You literally had it there, on the screen, but one accidental refresh…and it’s like it never existed.

“I...I swear it was here. I had a whole rant prepared and everything, what the fu—heck just happened??”

Your boyfriend merely gave a calm grin, grabbing your hand to coax your bewildered self into the seat next to him. “Maybe they realized it was a mistake on their part and corrected it before things escalated. Smart choice. ‘m sorry yer rant didn’t go as planned, though. Ya still wanna share it?”

Deflated, you shook your head. “Nah. Not worth the energy anymore. Oh well. Whatcha wanna do for dinner? I’m thinking pizza, or maybe pasta…”

“Whatever ya want, darlin’.”

Aran - 2. List - 0.

—

KITA still finds it to be trivial. Why people feel the need to fill their heads with these fantasies, especially about someone who’s happily taken, he hopes to never understand. You were to be his future spouse, and to have anyone spread this misinformation just because—That doesn’t sit right with him.

@/kita-shin: would your parents be proud of this?

He doesn’t know exactly who’s behind this forum, or if they even care about their shameful behavior being perceived by others. But, it was worth a shot to appeal to some part of the person behind the screen to hopefully think twice about what they post on the internet by painting it in that perspective.

“Oh, my sweet Shinsuke. If only that’s how people operated online…the world would be a much better place.”

“I know t’s far-fetched, seekin’ empathy from a stranger on the internet, but it doesn't hurt to express my dislike for their actions openly. Maybe more people will be comfortable speaking out against it. An anti-trend.”

Your brows raised high, impressed. “Ooo, that’s a new one. Who taught you that term?”

“Despite what you all may think, I’m not an old man trapped in a young man’s body. I’m very in tune with most trends, slang, or what have you.” He replied, teasingly, earning a soft chuckle from you.

“You didn’t.”

“I did.” TENDOU said, utterly shameless.

After you showed your boyfriend that you were the new addition to the list, he wasted no time asserting his dominance by replying something diabolical.

@/satorii: while ur in their DMs, i’m farting in their bed. #wearenotthesame

Astonished was the best way to describe what you felt in that moment, not only from how quickly he commented but also the audacity in his statement. You didn’t know if you should laugh or cry. “Satori.. did you have to say that of all things?”

Tendou tilted his head, cheesing. “I believe it’s necessary to be transparent just how locked in we are. Shatter their spirits into pieces~”

“You’re so gross.” You said, half-heartedly.

“Mm, I’m about to get grosser.”

Before you could ask or even prepare, Tendou threw one arm around you while the other flung the covers over both your heads, trapping you in a dutch oven. You scrambled, shrieking, “Ew! You bastard, lemme out!”

“No way, it’s the smell of love~”

“LOVE STINKS!”

—

SEMI stared at the screen wearing his signature expression, brows stitched together and a little frown. As if contemplating how to take in this information, he decided to narrow it down to the most perplexing. “Infinity out of infinity? How the hell does that work?”

“No idea. All I know is this makes me the most fuckable person on campus. Or, in their words, on earth. And my ex can totally suck it.”

He snorted, “Wow. Don’t tell me you’re a fan now that it’s vindicated you.”

“Never said that, but they’ve definitely earned some points for giving me leverage over that dickhead. You should think so, too.”

“And why would I do that?” He scoffed, brow raised.

“Because you’re the one who gets to tap this infinity-ass,” you playfully slapped your backside, “which bumps you up the ‘fuckable’ scale by like.. two points. That puts you ahead of him.”

Semi blinked widely, then burst into a laugh. The absurdity of the statement had him curled over. You soon joined him, egging it on by playing coy. “What? What’s so funny, I’m being serious!”

He kept going until it turned into borderline wheezing, literal tears in his eyes. “You…Y-You’re ridiculous..”

“Ridiculous, but right. I’m the best you’ll ever have, the list says so, and who are we to argue with facts?”

“Facts, right…” he muttered, calming down enough to catch his breath. Wiping the corner of his eye, he exhaled, “Yeah, you are definitely an experience for sure, I’ll give the list that much for accuracy. Never a dull moment.”

You smugly grinned, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“As for all those other things…well,” he playfully trailed off, earning himself an empty can thrown at his head that he luckily dodged at the last second, “Hey! Watch it—Kidding, I’m kidding, those other things are accurate, too—Ouch!”

You tossed other miscellaneous objects at him in retaliation, turning into an outright war of flying pens and stuffed animals. It was clear who had won when later on, in the replies, Semi projected his defeat on the ones responsible.

@/s3mi_: you guys infinitely suck.

—

USHIJIMA would have the post sent to him by Tendou one afternoon, and it would pretty much be the same reaction he had to his own. Only this time, he’d congratulate you on your achievement.

“You have been awarded the highest score possible. That makes you the victor, yes?” He gave you a thumbs up. “You did well.”

“Toshi, honey, no. This isn’t—I mean, it’s not a..” you sighed. Having flashbacks to the last time you attempted to explain this concept made the words turn to ash in your mouth. Instead, you waved the white flag, patting his thigh. “Thank you. Couldn’t have done this without your support.”

His brows furrowed. “You are being sarcastic, aren’t you?”

“I would never,” came your reply, dripping with it. When his lower lip jutted out ever so slightly, you released a soft chuckle. “I’m sorry, you make it too easy to tease you.”

“If this isn’t a celebratory moment, what would be the appropriate response?”

You sighed, “Honestly? No response. All this’ll bring is weirdos in my inbox asking for nudes or feet pics. Guess I’ll turn my notifications off for a while until this blows over.”

Ushijima’s eyes widen ever so slightly. “This will bring unwanted advances to you on your social media?”

“Unfortunately. But, nothing to worry about. Just comes with being on the internet.”

Although you brushed it off, he on the other hand solidified in his mind to search deep within himself to recall his username and password, just so he could post his demand beneath your post.

@/waka-1: Remove this. Immediately. And stay away from [____].

Speaking of the devil. Your smile softened, taking the device without a moment’s hesitation. Unlocking it to find hundreds of texts and calls from the same number made you giddy inside, your face heating as your heart began to race for a second time tonight. Giggling softly, you finally set the award down to gently pat your manager’s knee, “Shouldn’t you be used to it? He’s your brother, after all.” 

Emma huffed, a vein pulsing in her forehead. “He’s gotten way worse since you two started dating, he’s like, obsessed. I miss the days when he was too busy going in circles on his stupid bike to bother me. You’ve created a monster, [______].” 

“If I recall correctly, you were the one who introduced us. I’d say this monster is your doing, my dear Emma.”

She groaned but didn’t dispute the fact, knowing it to be true. “I didn’t think you two would turn into something more. He’s an idiot, and I thought you had better taste in men.”

You snorted, “Sorry to disappoint.”

“Eh, I can’t judge much. Draken’s even more thick in the head. You don’t wanna know how long it took him to realize I was in love with him. I was dropping hints left and right, but that dummy never picked up on any. I had to look that man square in the eyes and demand he ask me out or I’d jump into traffic.”

A full blown cackle escaped you, hand flying up to cover the sound as you imagined such a scene unfolding, and she soon joined you. After sharing a good laugh with your manager, you took the remainder of the drive to read through the endless sea of messages sent in by your boyfriend, Manjiro Sano. He was more excited than you were for the big win, sharing video after video of him watching the awards on a little monitor in his racing tent. There was one of him making fun of some celebrities in the audience, another of him zooming all the way in whenever you showed up on screen to shower you with compliments and praise for existing. But, your favorite had to be of him cheering at the top of his lungs when the host announced your win, his crew joining in and Draken even popping a small confetti cannon. You immediately showed the part to Emma, making your shared laughing fit start up again. 

You were bummed they couldn’t be there due to the conflicting schedule with one of his races, but the feeling doesn’t linger for long, especially when you get to his most recent text that reads: 

 from : grease monkey ♡   9:47pm     “ see u at the party, angel :) . ”

Your brows furrowed. Party?

The limo eventually came to a slow stop outside a venue that was already swarming with people—paparazzi, interviewers, fans—flooded on both sides of the sidewalk. Even with the red rope and security, it was overwhelming to keep everyone at bay. You blinked widely, mouth agape. “Uh…Em? What’s all this?”

“Why, it’s your after party, superstar.” Emma winked. “You didn’t think we weren’t gonna celebrate in style, did you?”

She knocked on the partition. The limo soon turned off and the driver exited the vehicle. He rounded to the other side, sidestepping security and rabid fans, grabbed the door handle and thrusted you back into the chaos once more. Emma was the first to get out, taking the liberty of grabbing your award for you on her way out. She turned to extend her hand to help you with a smug grin. You mentally cursed her for not sharing this part of the plan, knowing your shocked expression was her goal, but decided to play along. Taking her hand, your rehearsed smile stretches across your face as you step out of the limo, the award once again your accessory of choice for the evening as she handed it back to you. The excited screams intensified, millions of camera flashes in every possible angle, security hunkering down to make sure no one slipped through the cracks to rush you, and microphones shoved to the front in hopes of having their questions answered. 

“[_____]! [_____]! How’s it feel to be the youngest winner in your category?!” 

“Who do you want to collab with on your next album?!” 

“Any plans on doing a sexy concept?!”

“[_____], is it true your most popular song was dedicated to the renowned motorcycle racer, Manjiro Sano?!” 

Your mask nearly slipped at the mention of him, not expecting to hear it in this particular setting. You and Mikey weren’t exactly public yet, with your budding careers it was risky to be in a relationship so openly. It wasn’t unknown that single idols were favored more than taken ones, and he had a pretty healthy female fanbase that attended his races. It would complicate things for sure.

Plus, you enjoyed the privacy, content with supporting each other from behind the scenes for now. 

However, one too many coincidences and people will start to get suspicious. Separate instagram photos taken at the same resort, sponsors from the same brands, the one time you were spotted at one of his races, and him at one of your performances, not to mention the chain he started wearing with your middle initial (only the chronically online fans know that one). Rumors spread, theories formed, it happens when two attractive people are seen around each other one too many times. And it probably wasn’t going to help that he planned to be attending tonight…

Quickly, you covered it by posing with some fans, acting none the wiser while your manager did damage control. Emma gave a pointed look and smiled, “Refrain from asking unnecessary questions. We’d love to share this milestone with you all, and don’t need anything distracting from that. Thank you.” 

A cold front washed over the section of reporters. The blonde merely turned on her heel and gently placed a hand on your lower back and whispered that it was time to head inside. You nodded, saddened to bid your fans farewell, but blew many hearts and kisses their way, promising to see them all again very soon. More security trickled out from the building, some to get a handle on the growing crowd while others escorted the two of you to the ballroom. 

After turning the corner, away from the eyes of the public, you gently nudged Emma and said, “You are so fired.”

“You say that now, but you’ll be thanking me soon enough.” She nudged you back, taking the award off your hands before linking arms. “And I know for a fact you were happy to see your fans. That smile wasn’t PR trained.”

You playfully rolled your eyes, “I could’ve done without the paparazzi, though.”

“Oh, honey, they’re like roaches. It’s inevitable. And after tonight, prepare to see them following you more often. Privacy will be a hard thing to come by, if you catch my drift.”

You stiffened. That’s right. You’ve only been able to dodge those prying questions by using coincidence as cover. The more frequently you see each other, the harder it’ll be to deny. You could use the ‘just friends’ excuse, but there’s still going to be speculation…and even that’s more than enough to sway the public. “…Do you think Mikey and I should…tone down seeing each other then?”

Emma blanched, “Oh, god, no. He would be a nightmare. I’m one back-to-back text away from blocking him. All I’m saying is…use tonight to really discuss how you’ll want to move forward. Whatever it is, whether it’s hard launching or keeping the low profile, even if it means sneaking around like forbidden lovers, I’ll stand ten toes behind you.”

You smiled, squeezing her arm in a hug. “Thanks, Em.”

She beamed, smug once more. “Told ya.”

You raised your brow in confusion until it hit you. “Wait, no, that doesn’t count as me thanking you!”

“Too late, you already did! I win!”

“We didn’t even bet on it??”

The playful banter continued until you made it to the end of the hall. Before you could voice another counter argument in this silly debate, it abruptly stopped on your tongue. The immediate standing ovation you received upon stepping in the room almost made you jump out of your skin, everyone facing the entrance wearing bright, proud smiles like they’d been eagerly waiting for your arrival. Small party poppers go off, flower petals are thrown, everyone cheering and chanting your name like it was the goddamn Super Bowl. From your producers, to your makeup artists and stylists, your choreographer, even your label’s attorney showed up looking business casual instead of his normal business, everyone was there to celebrate you. After the initial shock subsided, a hand flew up to your mouth as tears welled in your eyes. Shutting them tightly, gentle sobs escaped you as the events of the night finally sank in.

Emma wrapped you in a hug, choking up. Many others fluttered over to join, surrounding you in warmth. “T-Thank you…thank you all so much…” 

“You deserve it,” your hairstylist, Akkun, replied. He gently dabbed away some of your tears, being careful not to smudge your mascara. “You totally killed it. We all knew you would.” 

“Hell yeah, blew that competition out the water.” Baji, your personal trainer, gave a thumbs up with a fanged smile. Your designer, Mitsuya, chimed in with, “Not to mention how you owned the red carpet. And after giving yourself such a hard time about how ‘out of place’ you’d look. Won’t say I told you so…but I did.” 

You gave a watery chuckle. “I know, I know. You were right, the dress eats down. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”

“You shouldn’t have doubted yourself.” He corrected, patting your head. “Do that again, and I’ll make you wear a burlap sack for the next one.”

Although you knew he was teasing, there was still an underlying sense of seriousness in the statement that made you not want to call his bluff. You opened your mouth to reply, only for someone else to beat you to it. “As if she wouldn’t still look absolutely breathtaking.” 

The familiar scent of bergamot and motor oil beckoned you. Entering the room was none other than team S.S Motor, dressed to the nines and led by your date for the evening. “Manjiro!” 

You skittered over to the ravenette, careful not to trip on your gown, your arms flew up to wrap around his neck and hold him tight. Said racer met your enthusiasm with his own, arms circling around your middle then hoisting you high off the ground to spin you. Everyone watched the scene, fondly. Emma approached to have her own little reunion with her husband, Draken happily bending himself in half to kiss her. She pulled away to shoot him a halfhearted glare, “Took you long enough. I told you ten o’clock sharp, Kenny.” 

“Yeah, well,” he thumbed over to Takemichi, who was already bowing deeply to the floor, “dumbass ripped a hole in his dress pants, so we have to make a little detour. Not many places open at this time of night, so Inui had to ask his fiance for a favor.” 

“An expensive favor. But, I promised to make it up to him. Won’t go into detail on how,” he shrugged. Draken merely closed his eyes with a shake of his head. Takemichi exclaimed from his angled stance, “It won’t happen again! Please forgive me, Emma!” 

She merely waved him off, “Relax, wussy-boy, it’s no big deal. I’m just relieved my brother’s finally in her vicinity so he can quit worrying me to death.” 

Eyes trailed over to the two of you still basking in the glow of each other’s presence. Mikey had put you down at this point, but he hadn’t taken his smitten eyes off you. If he had a tail it’d be wagging at hyperspeed. Emma sighed, “They’re so adorable, it’s sickening.” 

“Mm, know what you mean. He’s been yapping since the tracks this morning. You should’ve seen him, was practically frothing at the mouth when I told him about tonight. Took every ounce of effort to keep him from spoiling the surprise.” 

The festivity began now that the majority of the invitees had arrived. Champagne was popped, poured, and passed around. Servers walked with hors d'oeuvres, various selections of meats, cheeses, chocolates, while the heavier options were presented on a table near the backwall. Many made haste for the meat kushiyaki and lobster tails, playfully shoving one another in hopes of hogging it all, others decided to keep it light while chatting about miscellaneous topics. You and Mikey, on the other hand, were too busy feeding off each other’s attention to care about anything else, let alone food. 

“So, how’s it feel, your first taste of victory? Sweet, ain’t it?” He lightly poked at your sides. You squirmed a little, batting away his hands with a grin. 

“Eh, it’s fairly sweet, I suppose.” He gave you a look, poking you again. You eventually relented, no longer able to contain your excitement. “Okay, it’s super fucking sweet. I’m still riding the high, like I’m straight up shaking, look,” you held out your hand to show him, one he took into his own before giving it an affectionate squeeze. You exhaled, dreamily. “I just can’t believe this is happening. Feels like only yesterday I was cramped in that shitty studio with all those other girls for hours and hours...wondering if it would all be worth it.” 

Mikey’s smile softened. “And it was. Youngest to ever do it, on your debut no less, you achieved what everyone else thought was impossible. You made history, [_____]. And I’m the lucky man who gets to swap spit with greatness.” 

You rolled your eyes, slapping his shoulder. He feigned agony, falling into you like a wounded soldier. It didn't take long for his true intentions to show as he wrapped his arms around you, effectively trapping you in his embrace. He held you close, nuzzling in your neck. You groaned, “You are so corny…”

“Mm, y’know what rhymes with corny?” 

“Oh, christ, shut up,” you laughed despite yourself, returning his hug. You stood in comfortable silence for a moment, soaking in each other’s warmth. Being that the event only consisted of those in the know of your secret relationship, there was no need to hide. With how crazy your schedules had been, you weren’t going to waste a single second, indulging in much needed skinship to make up for lost time. After a while, you both pulled back just a little to resume your conversation, exchanging soft touches here and there, sneaking in a few kisses as well. The same fond gazes from earlier would occasionally flit over to your love bubble, some sharing teasing remarks and poking fun at how equally whipped you were. But, no one dared to interrupt your moment. 

That is, until an influx of people you didn’t quite recognize came flocking in. 

Words trailed off into stunned silence as your eyes shifted from the ravenette to the large group. Mikey caught on to your sudden distractedness, gaze flitting over with a raised brow before it widened ever so slightly. “Oh, damn. Friends of yours?” 

You slowly shook your head. “Was gonna ask you the same…” Searching for Emma, you figured she invited another agency for networking purposes, maybe she just forgot to mention. But when you spotted her equally puzzled expression, that reasoning died swiftly. “How did they get past security-?” 

“Ah, such a cute little gathering we have here.” 

You felt your heart stop. That voice. That agitating, grating voice. Every alarm bell went off in your head, body entering fight or flight. Out of all the people to crash your celebration, unannounced and uninvited, bringing people who weren’t in the know of your relationship, was none other than Misa Jabami. Your rival. 

“Sonofabitch…” You muttered before walking over to the bane of your existence, forcing a smile on your face. Mikey could only watch you stiffly shuffle away, leaving him completely in the dark. He pursed his lips, speaking to your retreating form.

“I’ll…wait here, I guess.” 

With the composure of a plastic doll, you approached the newly dyed redhead with awkwardly open arms to offer a welcoming hug. “Misa. Wow. Isn’t this a surprise…Thought you were shooting that movie overseas or something.” 

She deliberately dodged your friendly gesture by giving a pat to your shoulder. “Oh, sweetheart, as if I’d miss my first award show. My manager had the producers reschedule my scenes for next week. We agreed it was best to accept the award in person rather than pre-recorded video. But. Wouldn’t you know it, plot twist, you won instead of me,” she forced a laugh, her eyes shooting through you like gilded daggers. “Congrats, babes. Sad I missed the acceptance speech, though. Traffic, ugh. It was killer.” 

Her apathetic pout boiled your blood something fierce. With a hum, you clasped your hands together, tightly. “Yeah, I bet. Well, thanks so much for stopping by with…guests.” 

Misa turned to her entourage. “Oh, them? Hope you don’t mind. I heard through the grapevine that you were having an after party, so I made a few calls. Thank God I did, too. No offense, but celebrating with just your team? A little lackluster, don’t you think?” 

“Actually, Misa,” Emma popped over, cutting in as politely as she could muster. Though, the storm in her eyes gave away to her true feelings. “This is supposed to be an exclusive event. Y’know, made to exclude randoms off the street. No offense.”

Her facade cracked a bit at Emma’s not-so-subtle shot. You fought back a grin. You’ve always been grateful to your dear manager and friend for being able to give a professional ‘fuck off’ whenever necessary. Unfortunately, triumph didn't last when Misa smirked, pointed over to her right, “Then, why is he here?” 

You and Emma look over to where Mikey busied himself with the others, catching up with old friends and helping himself to whatever was on Draken’s plate. Of course. How could you not realize it sooner? Suddenly, her impromptu appearance didn’t seem so impromptu anymore. ‘Through the grapevine’, she said. Always so full of shit to an olympic degree.

Emma easily deflected, “He’s family.”

Misa countered, “Mm, so am I. [____] and I practically grew up together during our pre-debut era. I mean, if we really want to get technical, I was with her longer than anyone in this room combined. Even you, Eva.”

“It’s Emma.”

“Right, that’s what I said. Besides, my people and I came all this way to support you, after all. You wouldn’t turn away your supporters, would you?”

There it was again. Her lower lip jutting out in an attempt to appear sweet, innocent.

It took every fiber of your being to swallow down the acid you wanted to spit at her like a dilophosaurus. Inhaling deeply, centering yourself, you exhaled out, “No. Wouldn’t dream of it. The more the merrier.” 

Her oily grin spread wide as she clapped her hands. “Fantastic.” She turned to face the crowd, proudly announcing to the room, “Everyone! Our lovely host has welcomed us to join her celebration with open arms. Don’t forget to livestream and take many photos. We'll want this to be a night to remember. Right, [____]?” 

Your eye twitched. “Right.” 

The group wasted no time spreading out, a few influencers approaching you to grab a quick selfie before flocking off somewhere to schmooze and leech off anyone with a high following. Misa watched in mirth, a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she reveled in your struggle to keep calm, "All eyes on you tonight, babes." With that, she sashayed past you and Emma, making a beeline to the champagne.

You clenched your fists, tight enough to shake. Emma placed a grounding hand to your shoulder. "Don't let her get under your skin. It's what she wants. Take a deep breath, and let me handle the rest-"

"Emma, long time no see." A voice spoke from behind, startling you both. Turning swiftly on her heel, her frown deepened in disgust. He playfully hissed through his teeth. "Yikes, not the reaction I was aiming for. And here I though you'd be happy to see me."

"I'd be happier to see burning shit in a paper bag than you, Kisaki."

The blonde placed a hand on his chest. "You wound me. Always so vulgar. It's a wonder how your husband puts up with it."

"I'd say the same about your wife. [Gasp] Oh wait. That's right, she doesn't anymore. How's the divorce been treating you?"

He sharply chuckled, "Oh, Emma. I'd watch my tone if I were you. Hate for someone to overhear such hostility toward a fellow colleague. Especially after that whole 'bullying' fiasco. Wouldn't want to tarnish that good girl reputation this early, now would we?"

"That was debunked within an hour of it being spread, hardly a smear campaign. Unlike you, I don't have to jump through hoops to make sure my client looks good in the eyes of the public. This little stunt you're pulling tonight, won't work."

Kisaki coyly shrugged. "Haven't the slightest idea on what you mean. I would never do anything to jeoprodize our dear [____]'s moment to shine."

"Oh, spare me," Emma rolled her eyes. "No one likes a sore loser, and everyone at the agency knows you hate to lose, you incel. If you think for one second that..."

Her words drifted into background noise as you caught the walking red flag moving in your peripheral. Turning your head, you froze at the sight of her approaching the table where S.S Motor was gathered. She flicked her hair over her shoulder, no doubt fluttering her lashes at them. You weren’t worried for Draken or Inui, knowing they openly wore their wedding and engagement bands to sway anyone from crossing a boundary. Mikey on the other hand, as far as the public’s concerned, was very much single.

Of-fucking-course she had her eyes on him.

Two drinks in, and you were on your last nerve. Misa made it her mission to ensure you and Mikey didn’t have a second to yourselves, at least not without spectators. Even when some of your friends tried to assist, she found a way to insert herself with several others and their smartphones ready. No one was able to relax, on high alert in fear of doing or saying anything that could be used against you later. The power of a single clip out of context would no doubt cause a stir–And you were certain that’s what Misa was counting on. 

“So, Jiro–Can I call you Jiro?” Misa asked, but continued on without waiting on confirmation. Team S.S Motor exchanged looks. “What’s the deal with you and our little [____]? Word on the street is you two are real sweet on each other. That true?” 

Mikey cooly replied, “I’m sweet on everyone.” 

“Oh, c’mon, don’t give me that boring answer,” she rolled her eyes. “I want the juicy details. It’ll be our little secret, promise.” 

The three livestreams happening at the table begged to differ. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was a mole for TMZ or something, vying for even a crumb of information. Mikey didn’t take the bait, knowing confirming or denying wouldn’t do him any good. It didn’t matter what his answer was at this point. He shrugged, “Sorry to disappoint, but there’s nothing to tell. I’m here to support my sister and her client.” 

Misa gave a dramatic sigh, leaning herself against him. She pouted, “Boo~ Jiro, you’re no fun.” 

With how tightly you gripped your champagne glass, it’s a wonder how it didn’t shatter. Sitting just a table over, having no choice but to watch this unfold, you willed yourself to stay rooted in your spot. Even if you were to go over there, it would only make things easier for her to poke holes in your facade. Mikey smoothly nudged her off, making it appear that he was adjusting in his seat. He shot a look at Takemichi across the table, a wry grin on his face. Michi heard loud and clear, sitting up straighter to ask, “Uh, Misa, could you tell me more about this movie you’re starring in-?” 

“Mm, sorry, no can do. It’s in my contract not to discuss anything not pre-approved by production.” She was quick to shut down the diversion, giving him a squinty-eyed smile. Misa turned her attention back to the ravenette, reaching over to play with his chain, the one with your middle-initial. “Anyways. Jiro, tell me about this. Is it symbolic?” 

“It was a gift.” He gently removed her hand, looking over to his advisor. “From Ken-chin, actually.” 

Draken almost choked on his drink, but played it off with a rough cough. “Mm. Yeah. That’s right. A friendship…chain. The kanji represents loyalty, or something like that. Goes way back to when we were kids. Gang shit, you wouldn’t understand.” 

Misa gasped, as did her posse. She brought a hand to her mouth, once again leaning against him, breasts brushing against his arm. He raised a brow. “Oh my gosh, you were part of a gang? So dangerous. Didn’t know [___] had criminal affiliations.” 

“It wasn’t-” 

“Honestly, that makes so much sense,” an influencer spoke, turning their camera on themselves, “it’s no wonder she’s so popular. She probably has connections with yakuza that are working behind the scenes. [Gasp] I smell a conspiracy.” 

The taller of the group pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a year shaving off his life knowing Emma was going to rip him a new one for mentioning that. Mikey on the other hand merely snorted, reaching across the table to grab at the influencer's phone, turning the camera on himself. “Yeah, spread the word. Racing is my side gig, but my real work happens in the shadows as a big, bad crime lord. I’m slowly taking over the world one industry at a time. Starting with music. I’ve got subliminal messages hidden in every soundtrack on the radio.” 

“Mikey.” Draken reprimanded, another year shaved off. “He’s just joking.” 

“Of course I’m joking, honestly, only toddlers would believe that." Mikey spoke directly into the camera, eyeing down the thousands tuning in. The influencer then snatched their phone back from him, turning off their livestream with a reddened face. “Plus, [____] and I didn’t know each other back then. We ran with different crowds. I was a dumb kid, causing trouble. Nothing that exciting. 

Misa forced out a giggle, “Oh, a bad boy. Totally my type.” 

You could’ve sworn a crack formed in your glass. Setting it down slowly, you turned your full body to Emma, who was also judging from a distance. You spoke through clenched teeth. “How much damage would it cause if I’m on camera dragging her ass out by her extensions?”

“Catastrophic.” 

“Emma, I am at my limit.” 

“Honey, trust me, you and me both.” She side-eyed Kisaki, standing a few feet away like some super villain, swirling his glass of whisky. “But, don’t worry. I have a plan. Get ready, on my signal.” 

She squared her shoulders, making a beeline to the other table. You floundered, whisper-shouting at her, “Wait, we didn’t discuss a signal, what’s the signal?? Emma!” 

The blonde approached a nearby server, leaning in to speak slowly in their ear for a moment, gesturing over to the table. They gave a curt nod, leaving briefly to the back kitchen area to exchange their half empty tray. You watched as the server emerged from the swing doors with an overflowing tray of champagne. Everything was fine when they arrived at the table, handing out new glasses to the influencers, then team S.S Motor. It’s not until the server gets to where Mikey and Misa sat did they suddenly “lose their balance”, effectively toppling the remaining flutes of champagne all over the two…but mostly on Misa. 

“Ah!” She shrieked, shooting out of her seat in shock. Mikey stood as well, dusting off the few droplets that did get on his clothes. Everyone was stunned to silence, all eyes and phones pointed on Misa and the server as they apologized profoundly. “Y-You-! You clumsy little-! Ugh!”

The server made a show of bowing rapidly, trying to draw as much attention as possible. Kisaki practically materialized on the spot, coaching Misa to remain calm, to not say something she would regret as the server used their apron to soak up the majority of the mess. Cameras were pointed on the scene, capturing every moment like drama-hungry vampires. Mikey and the rest of S.S Motor tried not to laugh, Misa resembling a used tampon. The red hair and cream colored dress combo not doing her any favors. You visibly brightened, eyes drifting to your manager as she gave you a thumbs up. Now’s your chance. While you snuck your way around the growing crowd, Emma flagged her brother down by waving her arms haphazardly. Luckily, Draken was able to see her over the various heads, using his leg to kick at Mikey beneath the table. The ravenette blinked up at him in confusion, Draken nudging his head in the direction of his jumping wife, who in turn was pointing over to you. Mikey grinned appreciatively for this orchestration, grabbing a cloth napkin and pretending to still be patting himself down of champagne while quietly excusing himself from the table.

With everyone distracted, as soon as he was out of sight of the cameras, he scampered off to your side, tossing the napkin over his shoulder as you tugged him along.

You swiftly shut the sliding door to the balcony, wasting no time dragging the racer to hide, finally tucked away from those prying eyes. Pressing him up against the wall, you sneakily peeked around the corner to make sure you weren't followed. He gave an amused chuckle. “Alone at last.” 

He reached up to hold your hips, finally being able to indulge his urges, however was denied as you swiftly slapped at his hands. Mikey’s grin faltered, tilting his head at your flaring nostrils. Obsidian eyes searched yours in hopes of the answer revealing itself. Stumped when it came up cold, he stretched his brain to recall doing anything to make you tiffed at him. As far as he was concerned, he was on his p’s and q’s–Didn’t curse as much, mingled with those pesky influencers, smiled for cameras, listened to the ramblings of that girl who kept popping up at every turn–he was the perfect gentleman. 

Yet, with all that effort, you were somehow pissed. 

After another brief moment of contemplation, Mikey exhaled in defeat. “Alright, I give up. What’d I do?” 

If even possible, that question only seemed to make you angrier. With a humorless chuckle, you crossed your arms. “I think the better question is, what didn’t you do?” 

He blinked. “Uh…” scratching his head, he looked around as if the answer would fall out of the sky, or appear on this balcony, “..I..mm,” Mikey’s nervous gaze trailed back to you as he took a microstep forward. Hesitantly, he leaned in to peck your cheek, then leaned back to watch your reaction to see if that was the correct move. Unfortunately, your irritation was unmoved. “No?” 

You worked your jaw, shaking your head. Despite yourself, you could feel heat creeping up your neck at the endearing gesture. Damn him. Damn him, and his handsome face. Your resolve only chipped further when he pouted, like a kicked puppy. So, you threw him a bone. 

“Why didn’t you tell that skank to hop off your dick?” 

His eyes widened a fraction, choking on a laugh. “Whoa, what?”

“That parasite that’s been hanging off you for the past half hour, glazing so damn hard. It was vomit-inducing.” 

Mikey frowned. And like a switch, the question mark above his head turned to an exclamation. “You mean that Mika chick?” 

“It's Misa, and yes I mean her, who else would I be talking about?” You hissed. He raised his hands in surrender. 

“Geez, sorry I asked. Yeah, she was pushy, but I didn’t want to be rude. I mean, you were trainees together under the same agency, right? She made it seem like you guys were cool.” 

“We are absolutely not cool. That ship sailed when I found out how fake she was. She’s the one who started that whole ‘bullying' rumor. Almost caused a whole scandal, but thankfully Emma got it under control before it did any real damage.”

He blinked, widely. “That was her?”

“Oh, I'm sure it was. Any time there's drama in my life, she’s always somehow at the center of it. I try to keep my interactions with her to a minimum. I wouldn’t be surprised she only came tonight because she found out you would be here.” 

He raised a brow. “What’d I got to do with it?” 

Incredulous, you gestured between the two of you like some sort of interpretative dance. Mikey fought down a snort. “Hello? She's clearly trying to sabotage our relationship.” 

“Yeah? You think I’m that easy?” 

“It’s not you I'm worried about. It's her.”

“Baby, to hell with all that noise,” he reached out to grab your hips, this time without getting slapped. A good sign, at least. “Tonight is about you. If Mika, or Misa, or whatever her name is wants to focus her energy on trying to make you miserable, let her. Probably why she didn’t win, her priorities are out of wack.” 

You gently slapped his chest, but there was no hiding your schadenfreude. He grinned, taking that same hand and placing a loving kiss to your knuckles. “If I haven’t already made it clear, I’m not in this for the short term. No box-dyed buzzard’s going to sabotage anything. Besides, I think I’ve bugged my sister to the point where if I ever think of straying from you, she’d take my legs.” 

With a playful pout, you muttered, “So you’re only staying with me out of fear?” 

“Out of love.” He trailed kisses from your knuckles upward, stopping short of your forearm. He looked at you from beneath his lashes. “And maybe a little fear. But mostly love.” 

“Idiot,” you grinned despite yourself, tension melting away in exchange for something warmer. 

“Yours.” He replied, tilting his head to sweetly kiss your lips. “Always.” 

You exhaled, leaning your forehead against his. You spoke through a pout, “'m sorry I was snippy with you. I just got a little…possessive.” 

“No apologies needed. I think it’s kinda hot.” 

“Shut it. Don’t act like you wouldn’t be the same if someone was all in my face like that. You probably would’ve had him stargazing in a ditch somewhere.” 

“Without hesitation.” He snaked his arms around your waist, chest to chest as he gently nosed your cheek. “I should be the only one with all your attention, or I’ll crash out. I’m your number one fan after all.” 

“Mm, number one stalker more like.”

“Actually, pretty sure Misa wins that title hands down. Except I get the privilege of seeing you naked.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Such a creep.”

He softly scoffed, feigning offense. “t’s not creepy. It’s romantic.” Mikey began trailing kisses from your cheek down to your neck, following an imaginary trail until he reached your shoulder, then trailed back up.  You shook your head before leaning back to give him more access. “Romance must be dead.” 

He didn’t miss a beat. “Let’s revive it then.” 

Mikey tilted your chin to capture your lips, hands reaching down to slip under your gown and lift you off the ground with ease. You squealed against his lips, inadvertently granting his tongue entrance as he deepened the kiss with a groan. He walked you over to the ledge and set you atop the concrete surface. It was spacious enough for you to sit comfortably, and the metal railing a perfect height to quell any worry of you falling over. Spreading your legs to let him stand between them, you carded through his inky tresses, gently raking over his undercut. Mikey purred in response like a revving engine, hands gripping your plush thighs, squeezing, then tugging you closer. You could feel him through his dress pants, harder than rock, pulsing in morse code that would probably translate to your name. Your pussy was eager to respond, intimate parts having heated discussion as hips moved in tandem, dry-humping with a desperation akin to horny teenagers in the back of someone’s car. Eventually, you both pulled apart to catch your breath. 

Panting, your hand came up to hold his face, thumb caressing his reddened cheek with a tenderness that made him visibly soften. If his eyes weren’t already dark in color, you were certain his pupils were dilated enough to have swallowed any ounce of color within them. Mikey was awestruck at the sight of you. Your lipstick now smudged, a light sheen of sweat on your skin that glowed against the city lights. Hues of reds, yellows and blues painted you like a mural, he wanted nothing more than to paint you in white next. But, that could wait. Right now, tonight was all about you. And he was more than willing to remind you. 

Your breath catches as Mikey dropped to his knees, grabbing the hem of your gown to gather it and bunch it up to where you were exposing more than you should in this particular setting. You shivered as a cool breeze licked at your soaked center, the flimsy fabric practically clinging to your outer lips. You heard the racer moan shamelessly at the sight. “There she is…” 

Your breath hitched as his fingers rubbed at your puffy lips. The alcohol in both of your systems was working overtime to cloud your judgment thus far. For a split moment of clarity, you realized the predicament you were about to be in if this continued. “M-Maybe we should do this elsewhere…where there’s not hundreds of people who could walk in on us at any time…” 

“Uh huh...” he replied, absentmindedly.

“I’m serious, what if-Mm!” He cut off your nervous ramble by pressing his nose against you before he took a deep inhale of your heady scent. The raunchy display made you lose your train of thought, reasoning hopping aboard soon after. He gave a breathless chuckle, practically nuzzling your crotch. You huffed, slightly embarrassed. “...hate it when you do that…” 

“Liar,” he rasped, smug and all. “You can lie all you want, angel, but she can’t.” 

Soft mewls escaped you as he dragged his tongue up and down your clothed slit. Oversensitivity had you trying to close your legs, running from the sensation, but his firm grip on your inner thighs kept you spread wide. The already thin fabric didn’t stand a chance against your arousal let alone his saliva, getting it more and more wet where the excuse of underwear no longer served a purpose. With that thought in mind, Mikey made work of peeling the garment off and down your smooth legs, the offending lace no longer a barrier between him and his favorite dessert; dorayaki be damned. 

“Oh, fuck,” you crooned, thighs spreading further to welcome the eager muscle, anxiety now an afterthought. Your hands shot out to grab at anything to ground you, latching onto him and the railing alike. Having been so long since he’s last tasted you, there was no more room for second thoughts. He hummed against you, adjusting your legs to rest over his shoulders. If you thought it was a struggle to keep your noises at bay earlier, it was infeasible now. Mikey was an eater through and through, and a messy one at that. He wanted you everywhere, all over his face, down his throat, hell, up his nose if wanted. If he wasn’t borderline suffocating, he wasn’t doing it right in his book. His tongue reached every nook and cranny, each bump and ridge getting equal amounts of attention. When he curled it in a particular spot, your hips bucked involuntarily, more of your slick spilling from your clenching hole and into his awaiting mouth. Before you could form an apology, his hands slid up to grab your hips, silently encouraging you to move them again. 

He pulled back to mutter, “Ride my face baby…wan’ you to…need it..” before diving back in. 

You clenched at the debauched look on his face as he begged you, the lower half of it drenched with hearts in his eyes. Per his request, you carefully scooted to the edge, enough to where most of your weight would be on him rather than the ledge. Mikey welcomed you with a deep groan, sitting back on his haunches to give you applicable room to smother him. The sight was sinful on its own, from both angles. From his view, you looked like a goddess about to descend upon him and grant him salvation. From yours, he looked like an animal ready to devour you whole. Being sure to keep a nice hold on your gown so that neither of you were deprived of this vision, you slowly lowered yourself back to your eager throne. Mikey wasted no time, falling back into rhythm like he never stopped. He slurped and swallowed every drop you gave. His fingers dug into the globes of your ass as he pushed and pulled, dragging your pussy across his face. Forcing his tongue through your tight entrance once more, this angle made it so much easier for him to reach deeply within your cunt, curling up to caress your g-spot with precision that made your eyes cross. 

“Nhg! Jesusfuck–oh! Jiro...ah,” your hips had a mind of their own, fingers tangled in his hair as you took control of the pace, strangling his tongue with your walls, clit brushing against his nose. Mikey pushed up on his knees a little, forcing you back until your back hit the ledge. You hadn’t realized you weren’t even sitting on it anymore. Somewhere in the haze of pleasure you had stood up, looming over him, damn near mounting him. Now, with one leg thrown over his shoulder, the other held you upright to keep from crushing him completely. "Yes..! Yesyes, right there..!"

Honestly, knowing him, he wouldn’t be opposed. 

Mikey knew you were getting close. He could feel it in the way you pulsed around his tongue, the endless slick dripping down his chin, the way your moans grew an octave higher. Your hips no longer followed a rhythm but carried on instinctually; primal. Your toes curled in your shoes, one of the heels digging into his back with how wound up you were, but he paid no mind to the dull ache. Your grip in his hair left tingles in his scalp, driving him to lap you up with more vigor, even landing a slap to your inner thigh that earned him a wanton cry–It was too much and not enough all at once. Your upper back leaned against the railing, head dangling just over the edge where the city lights and the stars traded places. It felt like you were flying. And right when you’re about to reach cloud nine…he stops. 

The strangled whimper that emerged deep within you was almost enough to break his heart. Almost.

He wriggled his tongue free despite your protesting walls, sticking out to catch any loose drips that followed out behind him. Through teary eyes you looked at him in what could only be described as betrayal. If looks could kill, he’d be six-feet under. Mikey licked your stickiness off his lips like ice cream, grinning mischievously. “Ohh, were you about to cum, baby? Hssh, my bad. Just had to catch my breath.” 

You knew it was bullshit. He knew it was bullshit. Thankfully, before you could think to knock him upside his noggin for teasing you, he was already earning forgiveness by stretching you open on his fingers. He reveled at the sight of your frustration melting back into ecstasy, “Thatta girl. Let me in there, fuck…so goddamn tight…”

“Manji..” you all but growled, “d-don’t test me..”

He cooed, “You look so pretty worked up, though,” he added a third finger making you keen rather loudly. “And so responsive too. Think the whole city can hear you, baby.”

Mikey curled them, moving them in a ‘come hither’ motion to continuously push against that spongy wall. You cried out, almost sliding down the wall if not for him holding you up on his shoulder. His arm flexed with how fast he thrusted his fingers inside, your slick working like a slip-and-slide as it coated him from his hand all the way to his rolled up sleeve. He watched your pussy intently, groaning at the sight, utterly entranced. Mikey would never grow tired of making you and her sing, it being his favorite sound in the world. He felt it again, your tells of being close to the edge. Your stomach fluttered, walls contracting and making it hard for his fingers to move despite plenty of lubricant, the pitchy moans. Only this time, you sounded a bit panicked. “W-Wait—Uhn—Something’s—Oh god, Jiro, wait, I-I think I’m gonna-!”

He nodded, coaxing you even further. “Mm? Yeah? Gonna make a mess all over me? Go ‘head. We’ll tell em it’s the champagne…”

You whimpered like a bitch in heat, every stroke of his lithe fingers drawing you closer and closer and closer. You were right there, you could feel it in your bones, in your teeth. But, you needed that final push. Your hips bucked desperately, practically riding the persistent digits until Mikey wrapped his lips around your clit and sucked.

“Ohhfuckme..!!” Came your garbled moan, body seizing up tight as streams of your release shot from you like confetti.

Mikey moaned against you, the vibrations against your sensitive bundle paired with his fingers still working you open, it was enough to make you want to backflip right off the balcony. Your essence drenched his dress shirt and lower half of his face, his eyes searing into you. He nearly felt himself come undone in his pants, untouched, at the sight of you writhing in the palm of his hand. He pulled back with a hiss, arm still flexing as he helped you ride out the aftershocks. You fought to catch your breath, chest heaving, breasts nearly spilling over the top of your dress with trembling thighs, and a fogged up brain—You were the epitome of fucked out.

The racer came to slow stop after reaching your finish line. He pulled his fingers out of you slowly, your walls releasing them with wet squelch that made you flush in slight embarrassment. Mikey, on the other hand, held his slick-coated hand up to the light with pride, spreading and stretching out the strings of your cum until it broke. You squinted at him, panting, “Quit that…”

“Aw, lighten up. Been a minute since I got to see you squirt like that. Let me admire my handiwork.” He smirked, moving his hand around.

You huffed, lowering both legs to the ground. They wobbled, the heels making it more difficult to balance but you did after some guidance from the railing. Just by looking at the state Mikey was in, safe to say you probably weren’t any better. Fixing your dress with a resigned exhale, you muttered. “Don’t suppose we can bullshit our way out of this one...”

Mikey stood while licking his fingers clean, as if he just destroyed a barbecue platter. Smacking his lips and wiping the remains on his dress pants, the ravenette sighed in relief. “Thank God. Was getting tired of this whole charade.”

“Y..You were?”

“Yeah…weren’t you?”

“Well…yes. But, I thought you agreed it was best to wait. You know, just to make sure we were serious about each other…”

Mikey lightly scoffed. “At first, but I was sure after like a week.”

“Wha-! A week??” You blinked, “We didn’t even call each other by our first names until like a month in!”

“You didn’t maybe. I’ve been saying your name in my head with my last name ever since. [____] Sano. Sano [____]. Mmm. Yep. Still hits.”

You shook your head, “Emma was right. I created a monster.”

He giggled, grabbing your hand to interlace your fingers. Mikey gestured to the inside…where the vultures and their redheaded ringleader no doubt realized the two of you went missing. You gulped. The moths in your stomach in a frenzy, feeling like you were about to walk a tightrope with no safety net. He gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s your call, superstar.”

With a shaky breath, you looked back into the sliding doors. You’ve been through a lot, have fallen nine times and gotten up ten. Those sleepless nights, clawing through the doubters, the deceivers, all the way to the top—You earned it. You, and the many people who supported you, believed in you, from the very beginning. Especially your day one.

And it’s time you let the world know keep their eyes off him.

AWARD-WINNING IDOL, [_____] [_____], AND RENOWNED MOTORCYCLIST, MANJIRO SANO, SEEN LEAVING AFTER PARTY—TOGETHER? CLICK THE LINK FOR MORE INFO.