cherri.

Your hands where shaky as they hovered against the doorknob to your shared apartment with your lover, Albedo. You were too scared to enter and you knew why.

Deep down you felt a sense of shame for what you had down, even if it were harmless.

You had just come from Dragonspine after encountering Albedo’s ‘brother’. Albedo of course, didn’t see him as such, to Albedo, 'Subject 2' was a mere duplicate, inferior to him. He was very firm with you to ‘in no way seek or go after Subject 2’, he was dangerous, unstable.

Albedo was a very gentle man, he was soft-spoken and kind to you, always. But whenever you brought up Subject 2, his eyes would change, and his voice would grow cold. You knew it came from a place of love – Albedo didn’t trust Subject 2, he was unstable, dangerous. It was why he was clear with you that if you ever were to encounter him, you should leave immediately.

But that’s not what you did.

In fact, you sought him out directly. For some time now, you have been observing, listening, watching. Each time you visited the snowy chaos that was Dragonspine, you’d get the smallest glimpse of him – Subject 2. You couldn’t help but feel bad. And this time, you were sure to find him, or perhaps, he was sure to let you. It was harmless, really. You went to give him some paint, that’s all. And nothing else happened. You spoke only a few words to each other, and he told you to leave straight after.

That’s all.

So why did you feel so scared coming back home to the real thing. Albedo.

“Welcome back, my love” Albedo’s voice was like honey, rich, smooth, golden. It pulled you in without another thought in that head of yours, right to the couch where he sat. He had a book next to him that you assumed he had put down the moment you entered. You felt awkward for the first time in front of your lover, you wondered if he noticed.

Albedo pulls you in by the thighs, his palms raking up higher and higher till you took a sharp breath in. His fingers hook under the waistband of your stockings before beginning to pull it downward.

“It’s a little hot for these, is it not?” he hums, looking up to you with innocent doe eyes. You fluster and nod your head. Although you had managed to discard your beanie, scarf and jacket, you had forgotten about your stockings. They were the warm kind too.

He must have made a note of it.

“It was colder this morning so… I thought it would be better to wear them” you managed to say as you step out of the stockings. Albedo looks to you and smiles warmly, humming to himself before his palms go back under your skirt. You shiver as you feel his colder fingers on your skin.

“How was your day?”

“It was good” you manage, biting onto your lip as he presses a kiss onto your thigh, and then, a little higher up. His breath is hot and you feel yourself grow slick.

“And yours?” you prompt.

You could feel the vibration of his hum on your clothed core, “It wasn’t anything too spectacular. I was with Timaeus for half the day and then by myself. I thought of you, a lot”

“Me?” Your eyebrows shoot up, your knees ready to buckle as he hums against you again before licking off a stripe. You gasp and hold onto his hair, pushing him back a little.  

“Yes you. Were you not doing the same?” he smirks softly, his head popping out from your skirt to look up, a glimmer in his eyes as he playfully teases you. You feel yourself soften and relax a bit before nodding, “Of course”

Albedo pulls you in this time, settling you comfortably on his lap, his palms fixed on your waist.

“Did you miss me?”

“Of course”

“And now that you’re here with me, how do you feel? Better or worse?”

Because Albedo still had his soft smile, and an even softer voice, you didn’t register how odd it was of him to ask that. But when your tongue was twisting to find the words, you realised something felt off. The rose tinted glasses had fallen and you realised you were much like a mouse that had pounced right into the arms of a cat. 

“…Better” you say, your voice barely audible as you watch Albedo smirk softly and tilt his head to the side,

He wanted to say, ‘now why don’t I believe that’ – but he opted not to by the way the colour on your face had started to drain away. As much as he wanted to watch your face fall, he also wanted to keep you speaking. Calm, rational. So he could figure out exactly what had happened. But he was starting to realise it would be difficult.

Perhaps, something to uncover for another day. And so, for today, he’d be cruel.

“I was told you were going to be in town, but you weren’t. Where did you wander off to, hm?” his voice is still playful, and the touch of his palms rubbing soothingly along your thighs told you that he wasn’t trying to scare you off. At least not yet.

“Just the outskirts of town for some commissions” It wasn’t a lie. You did have commissions, and you were in the outskirts of town. Albeit it be for a small portion of your day, you still weren’t lying. You hoped he’d be able to see your honesty.

“Commissions…” he says softly, pulling you into an embrace, his arms enclosing you into him firmly. You let out a small breath as you wrap your arms around his neck. You like this… being in his arms, in his warmth. Your body almost felt like it was burning up with the way his hands kept sweeping up and down your back. As he pulls back, Albedo’s eyes fall to your lips, they were dangerously allured to them, but he looks back up to your eyes, innocent, naïve.

You whine softly as his palms settle on your hips, eyes intently on yours, “…involving Dragonspine?”

You try not to let the shock settle on your expression but it was far too obvious. All the sensations that he had planted into your body prior, seem to amplify all at once at his words.

You were frightened. He knew. He must have.

“No, I didn’t… I didn’t go to Dragonspine” you whisper, feeling your heart begin to race and your breaths fasten a little. Albedo’s pull was stronger, you felt his chest on yours, his arms tight on your waist. You swallow thickly,

“No?” he questions,

“…No”

There’s a silence before Albedo’s mask seems to falter, his eyes a little darker, “I thought we’re past the fact that I can tell when you lie to me”

A chill runs down your spine. He still sounds kind, he still sounds oh so gentle, and yet, you are terrified.

“I’ll ask again, were you in Dragonspine?”

Your breaths are even faster, you try to hide the anxiety that’s rushing through you now but its’s no use, its obvious to you both. He knew. He knew it all and kept you talking to see how terrible you were. When your eyes start to shake and your lips tremble you feel the warmth of his palm against your cheek.

“Don’t be scared, I’m only curious, that’s all. You’re not the type to venture in there alone” he whispers, his breath soft on your lips. His eyes don’t leave yours. It’s almost as if he’s mocking you, but also, pleading. There’s no rationality left in you. You know you were wrong for what you did. You know you should have left the moment you saw Subject 2. You know you should have just told Albedo what happened the moment you entered. You were wrong. And you felt awful.

You try to push him away to leave his hold but he’s already figured that part of you. Albedo chuckles softly, holding onto your wrists,

“Ah ah. You’re not going anywhere, not until we talk about what you were doing.”

With a heavy sigh, Albedo leans in, his grip leaves your once bounded wrists and reaches behind your head. You don’t understand it till you see it.

The flower.

“You can only find these in Dragonspine, my love” he whispers, “they look like any ordinary Cecilia, but they’re not – they’ve got blue frosted jewels inside of them just like the mistflowers you so dearly adore”

Albedo continues to watch you still yourself. It was as if your entire being had left you, your eyes were glass. He had to tread carefully, but he couldn’t help himself anymore, he was growing impatient too.

“Do you want to explain it to me, hm?”

Your voice quivers and you look down, you can’t even muster the courage to look at him anymore. Ashamed at how you’ve gone against him and lied to him, just like that.

“You already know… don’t you?”

Albedo smiles softly, pressing a softer kiss on your cheek, “I’m merely giving you a chance to come clean, that’s all”

He lifts your chin up to face him and your eyes begin to water. You can’t help it. You know its pathetic. But you are frightened. You didn’t even know how he found out. But he did. And that was the scariest part.

“Sweetheart, there’s no need for tears. I’ve been asking nicely, have I not?” he hushes, brushing away at your tears.

Albedo begins to bounce his knee a bit to settle you back down, you almost moan at the feeling. He must know what he was doing right now. You hold yourself up, your palms on his thigh, feeling the friction he was creating oh so innocently, under the guise of calming you down.

But it did the exact opposite.

It heightened your sensitivity, it made you feel flighty, anxious, emotional.

He knew this, how could he not?

 “…and if anything, shouldn’t I be the one who should be crying? You have lied to me all this time, no?”

“I’m sorry. I’m really- really sorry Albedo” you sob, palms on your eyes, wiping away the endless stream of tears, almost falling from his thighs as you did so. “I… I should have left when I saw him. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah?” he probes, stilling himself to get a better look at you. You feel your core ache at the loss of friction, but continue to try find the words to a meaningful apology.

Albedo bites onto his bottom lips as his palms feel you up under your skirt,  

“It… it should have been the first thing I mentioned to you, but I didn’t.” you look to him finally, feeling a little better now since you were apologizing from the very depths of your heart. But you grow shy once you feel his fingers slip right under your panties and enter into you. Your mouth opens, a weak cry, barely audible makes Albedo scoff right in your face as he curls them against you.

Your lips part as you exhale shakily, closing your eyes to focus on the situation and not the sensations building in you.

It was all too distracting. Was he trying to comfort you? Or was it a punishment? You let out a soft whimper as he begins to prod his fingers onto your sweet spot.

Albedo’s eyes hollow, his pace faster, firmer, “You’ve been unfaithful…”

You frown at him, shaking your head desperately. You're trying to meet him with a reasonable expression, but all you could do is whimper and squirm under the control of his fingers. You hated that you were so easily taken advantage of.

“I wasn’t! I didn’t- no... nothing happened! Please- I – I only gave him some paint I-”

“And what use is paint, hm? To a fake that cares for nothing but disguising and ruining others?” he cuts you off. You’re left stuttering like a mess, trying to find the words but you can’t. You can’t find any more words, the sensations building up in you are distracting enough to rid you useless.

You're close, you can feel everything brewing up inside of you.

But just like that, his fingers slide out, his palms are off of you entirely.

You can already feel the distance even though you’re still on him. Alone. Left out in only the embarrassment and shame. You felt like a dog having watched their well awaited treat being taken away all too easily.

You shake away the shame and return to the real issue at hand. Albedo had an unusually irritated expression on him, after all. It was enough to make you forget about how he was touching you so tenderly only seconds ago.

“I just- I just thought…”

“That he’s normal? That he’d even understand the intricacy and emotion that goes into even a child’s level drawing?” he scoffs, rolling his eyes as he places his wet fingers to your mouth. You don’t argue and take it in, flushed, embarrassed. Even if you try to escape the feeling, you were incredibly needy, still. You almost hold onto his wrist just to keep his fingers between your lips, thats how desperately you wanted to have his affection right now.

How desperately you wanted him to look back at you with his usually tender gaze, full of love and not contempt.

“You are so naïve, it pains me”

Albedo decides to ground himself again, not liking how he almost snapped just then. But his patience is truly tested when he sees your neck.

He tips your chin up, focusing his eyes under your jaw. He looks irritated for a split second. He closes his eyes and lets out a breath before looking to you with sharp eyes.

“Just what did you let him do to you?”

“I didn’t… what?”

“Your neck, it’s powder got brushed on… not just any powder. It’s… forget it”

“But he didn’t…” you start before remembering.

Your neck. That’s right. The wind blew your scarf and Subject 2 had caught it for you. He stepped close and was the one to wrap it around you again.

“He must have when he wrapped my scarf” you mumble lowly as Albedo raises his eyebrows.

So much for nothing happened – Albedo thought.

“Is it dangerous… the powder?” you’re almost afraid to ask.

Albedo looks at you blankly and huffs, of course its dangerous – he wanted to say, but held back. Instead, he huffs, “We’ll wash it off. Along with his sickly scent.”

You furrowed your brows at this last words, not quite understanding till he dragged you by the wrist into your bathroom and into your shower. You couldn’t even open your mouth to protest before you were doused with water. Just like that, without warning, he had turned the cold water on you – you were still clothed.

You look to Albedo with your tear-filled eyes,

“Don’t worry, it’ll rub off. It comes out easily.”

You nod, biting onto your lip, holding back another sob. You didn’t know if he was being kind or intentionally cruel anymore. Perhaps a mixture of both.

Or perhaps it was cruelty masked as kindness.

You felt hot with embarrassment, even when the ice cold water was all that poured onto you.

Your clothes stuck onto you now, leaving him a sinful image of every outline, dip and curve of your body. Especially your white shirt, which was rendered translucent all too easily by the watrr. He stood there examining you, perfectly untouched by a single dop, dry. You didn’t realise his eyes were so fixed on your clothes till his fingers made way to your chest.

Your eyes snap to his, and his direct to yours – he wasn’t impressed, he was about to scold you again, you could already hear it through his gaze.

His thumb brushes over your now hardened nub, making you shiver. The silence eats away at you as his eyes continue to lock on you,

“You didn’t dress yourself decently either” his palm kneeds onto your breast, earning a small whine from yourself.

“I was wearing layers… I didn’t think… I’d need to” It was true. You wore a camisole, a shirt, a jumper and a coat. There was no reason for you to need a bra at all. You wouldn’t look ‘indecent’, as he put it. But that didn’t matter. To him, everything was something that could be picked apart – especially now.

He understood it wasn’t rational.

Still.

He didn’t like it one bit.

He must have been layer closer to your bare body.

Naïve.

“I’m sorry-” you begin to apologise once more, hoping he’d give you some mercy but he smiles instead,

“It’s going to take a lot more than pretty words to make up, I fear.” His fingers are soft as they fix up the pieces of wet hair stuck to your face.

“You’ve disappointed me”

Those words were words you never wanted to hear. From anyone. He knew that. It was your greatest weakness. Disappointment. He knew you lived and loved through praise, so the slightest inkling of anything less would hurt you. And that word, it was at the very end.

You start to sob again, feeling the water above you stop. His hand had reached behind you to turn it off and he’d also taken a step closer in doing so.

And closer.

You’re not looking at him, just at his feet and yours, the way his close in on you till you’ve hit the wall.

You feel his soft hair graze yours, his forehead pressing onto your damp one. His eyes are likely on yours, watching, monitoring, but you can’t look there anymore.

You feel ashamed.

“Be a good girl for me just this once, okay?”

And you were. Except you couldn’t hold back the tears and he wouldn’t force you to. Some sick part of him wanted you that way. Crying, trembling, begging for forgiveness. It wasn’t a sight he was particularly pleasured by himself, but he still needed it to feel satisfied, reassured, if you must.

And a part of him continued to relentlessly torture you into the night because it was a form of proving to you that he still loved you. That he still touched you, pleasured you, even after everything you just did to him. Even if you were crying through it.

How he didn’t care that you were soaking his clothes and his skin. How he still called you endearingly as he always does – never by your name.

He wasn't unusually rough. No. He was precise. He was patient. He took his time to tear you apart and didnt stop until he was at his limit, which was far, far from yours. Especially when your sensitivity was rendered abnormally high due to his 'preparation' beforehand.

He was cruel in that way.

And although he loved you as he usually would, how he tended to you as he usually would when everything was said and done,

you didn’t miss the way he had avoided kissing you on the lips all night.

Instead, his lips would only scatter on your skin, or bite you hard enough to leave a mark.

And by the end of it, you were a perfect canvas suited to his liking.

When you say goodnight, he doesnt kiss you like he usually does before the lights turn off. He does it on purpose, he's avoiding your kiss.

He does that on purpose too. He's cruel in that way.

“Go to sleep, we can talk about it later. I have much to do.”

Albedo has probably sensed you were still awake with the way you were trying to silence your tears. The lights were off, and you were both snug under the covers on opposite ends. The distance between you both was unfamiliar.

You were about to apologise again but stopped yourself. You didn’t want to aggravate him further. You knew he was someone who woke early for his work. And with what you had done – he likely had to deal with newer issues in regard to Subject 2.

“Do you need the pill?” his words cut through the silence again and your frozen for a moment. It was a pill you used when you had heavy insomnia. Albedo never recommended it after you finally got off of it. In fact, he disliked the medication – even if he were the very one to create it. He said you shouldn’t take it again, but here he was telling you the opposite.

He must not care anymore.

Regardless, you decided he needed his rest. It was more important than you. And that must have been his priority too.

“Yes… please” you whisper and just like that Albedo has reached to his drawer. You didn’t think it would be that accessible, you start to wonder if he takes them too. As Albedo hands it to you, he doesn’t go back to sleep till he’s watched you drink it down. You both say your goodnights, and tuck back into bed.

After an hour or so, Albedo turns to check on you. You were asleep, fast asleep.

As expected. With that psyche, you didn’t need an actual pill. A fake would do.

He knew this. And he knew you'd trust him. You had no choice after all, you didnt want to burden him further. He knew that about you too.

He also knew you must be thinking that he truly didnt care for you anymore. And he let that linger in your mind and the last thought before you drifted into sleep.

He was cruel in that way too.

Naïve.

Albedo rolls you over to face him, staring at your sullen face. He felt every part of him harden knowing he was the cause. But he couldn’t help it.

There was so much hatred in him when it came to Subject 2.

So much.

He shared his thoughts. And so, he knew his thoughts. It was an inescapable feeling. He had only learnt to part away from that connection during the recent weeks – but then you arrived.

Clueless, innocent naive you. Who had walked into dragonspine with a blank canvas and a paint set - a bright smile beaming as you met his duplicate. He grew irritated even hearing the voice of Subject 2 describing your every feature so shamelessly before cutting him off completely from what happened next.

Albedo’s palm cradles your cheek. It was cold. Your body was still cold. He pulls you in closer by the waist. The cold reminded him of Dragonspine. This must have been how you felt when he grazed your neck. But no, the cold was from what he did, soaking you to the bone.

Albedo almost moans as he presses himself impossibly closer to your frame, embracing every part of you as if you’d leave him. Feeling your soft breaths now was all he needed to forgive himself for his awful ways. Though, he knew he would never truly regret any of it. If he wasn't harsh now, archons forbid you'd do it again - he was not going to take any more chances with the possibility of Subject 2 using you.

You were a sensitive one. He knows you pick up on the smallest indifferences when it comes to affection. Unfortunately, he can't think the same for your sense of danger or trust. Your sensitivity was what lead you to sympathising with Subject 2, after all.

He couldn't have that happening again. Even if it meant hurting you for one night, manipulating and pretending as if he didn't truly love you for one night.

Albedo drags his thumb onto your bottom lip, shivering at the sight and the feeling. The very thing he couldnt get himself to relish in for so long. He lets himself give in, kissing you softly, slowly, tenderly. He moans softly into your lips, forgetting the lingering thought of you waking because he grew all too selfish so easily as he watched you sleep.

He couldnt help it. Perhaps he should have given you a proper pill after all.

As he kisses you, his fingers move over to squish your cheeks a little firmer, opening your mouth up a little more so he could kiss you deeper. Albedo finds it difficult to restrain himself further when he finds himself on top of you all over again. His heart almost leaping out of his chest as he hears you whine and wriggle under him.

Thankfully, you're still asleep.

His eyes soften once more as he presses a singular kiss on your forehead. He lets himself indulge in only one more kiss before he calls it a night.

“Naïve” he whispers to your lips before latching onto them, savoring the taste he knew was only his.

And he would make sure to keep it this way.

author's note: okay this turned into something a bit more spicy than I first imagined but im not complaining? also I was gonna make him meaner but I think writing him in a way where he is intentionally manipulating things is somehow even meaner. like the fact he's being mean to scare u off like you're some experiment of his, makes me cackle. and the fact that at the end of the day he just wants to kiss you but put himself thru the pain of not being able to, is just very albedo to me idk. like he's intentionally cruel not just to u but to himself because he does not want it happening again. also albedo being able to communicate with subject 2 is a personal headcanon of mine and I am sooo keen on writing another fic w this concept.

© kurapikapikachuu | Please do not feed any of my work into AI. Please do not copy, repost, or translate my work anywhere else.

likes, reblogs and comments are always appreciated <3 lots of love, chuu!

For all the bickering, he loved Ran. He just wasn’t the type to say it out loud. Never had been. It showed in other ways instead. In the way they moved in sync during fights, like a single entity. The way they always made sure the other was okay before checking on themselves. Or in the small things. Like showing up late, tossing a Mont Blanc onto the table without a word when Ran was going through the motions.

Because the truth was, Rindou noticed everything.

He saw right through people, past the versions they carefully constructed and the image they tried so hard to maintain. He found enjoyment in picking people’s lies apart, noticing the little slips that would later be used as ammunition to humiliate them when the time seemed ripe. Behind his bored expression and uninterested demeanor, Rindou caught everything. And that is what made him dangerous.

Because Rindou Haitani was violent, too. There was no soft way to put that and no version of the truth that put him in a better light. The younger Haitani was an excellent fighter, and worse yet, could be frighteningly cruel when he wanted to be and sometimes when he didn’t need to be. For all the reputation that preceded Ran, in adulthood it was usually Rindou who people feared more. Even the lowest guys in Bonten knew better than to get on his bad side, because if Rindou got his hands on you, it wouldn’t be quick. The angles, the pressure, exactly how much force it took to make a bone give. He was an expert at making you suffer. And the worst part? He loved every single second of it.

Maybe that should have been enough to scare you off. But there was one thing people got consistently wrong about Rindou Haitani. And who could blame them, really, looking in from the outside? Rindou was many things, but never a bad partner.

Whatever Bonten had turned him into and whatever blood-stained horrors he left behind after a job well done, none of it ever followed him back to you. Of course, he couldn’t hide those parts of himself. Didn’t want to. But in the comfort of his own home, different sides of him were allowed to surface, too.

The carefree one, that still liked to be silly and play his DJ sets from his teenage years for you. Who would pick you up bridal style and carry you to the couch giggling.

The caring one, that liked seeing you happy. Maybe more than he’d ever admit out loud. The side that made sure a light wouldn’t stay broken long enough for you to complain about it or that important events never crept up on him. 

The concerned one that knew about the dangers of life with a bonten executive where safety or coming home alive wasn’t always a guarantee. That sometimes regretted putting you in this position, but never once regretted choosing you.

And finally, the vulnerable one. The one who didn’t ask for much. Didn’t really know how to. The one who’d never learned how to voice his own emotional needs and relied on you to read between the lines, to notice the pauses and subtle tells he never bothered hiding from you. And over time, you learned how to. 

So when he stepped into the dimly lit apartment that night, his shoulders hanging low, a smear of blood along his collar already drying, you knew exactly what kind of night it had been. The dark circles under his eyes a sign of exhaustion that went deeper than just lack of sleep. 

“Bad night?” you asked, not really expecting an answer.

“Mhm.” Rindou hummed, walking over to you and pulling you into a firm hug. His cheek pressed against the top of your head, his strong arms wrapping around you, holding you close. You let your arms slip around his waist, face resting against his chest as a quiet content smile formed on your lips. You’d missed him.

“Wanna tell me about it?” you asked, softer still.

He shook his head just slightly. 

Of course you weren’t oblivious to his work. You knew exactly what he did and who he worked with, had actually gotten quite close to Koko and even Sanzu over the years - a fact he initially wasn’t too excited about. Still, when it came to the gritty, brutal details, Rindou rarely felt the need to share. You were his safe haven. Here, in your shared apartment, with you, he could just be Rindou and he didn’t need Bonten to take that away from him, too.

You helped him shrug out of his jacket, hanging it neatly on a hook by the door while he kicked off his shoes. He rubbed at his stiff neck as he made his way to the sofa and plopped down. You wandered into the kitchen, suddenly craving a drink. You grabbed two cans and handed one to him, settling back on the couch beside him.

The crack of the cans opening filled the room. You both took a long sip, and Rindou rested his head against the back of the sofa, eyes drifting over to you with content ease. You were sitting with your back against one of the armrests, head turned toward him, and the younger Haitani pulled your legs onto his lap to start massaging them. 

“How was your day?” Rindou asked.

“Boring meeting after boring meeting,” you sighed, thinking back to the uneventful day at the office. “Lunch was fun, but when I came home, one of the neighbors stopped to complain about the noise last weekend.” You laughed, not sure they would be quite as brave if they knew the real identity of the resident in the other apartment.

Rindou, unlike his brother, didn’t value anonymity. Your shared apartment was still luxurious, huge, and you were sure the bill could send you into a coma, but while Ran enjoyed his privacy, Rindou preferred a lively neighborhood in a better part of Tokyo.

“Hmm. They better get used to it,” he said, tracing circles on your legs and taking another sip of his beer.

Sometimes he felt bad about leaving you home alone for so long. Some weeks he was around a lot, but other times work required him to be gone for days at a time with practically no notice. Organized crime rarely followed a schedule, which led to many canceled dates and postponed trips. You always assured him it was fine, but he couldn’t help the guilty feeling.

Rindou leaned over you, fingers holding your face as he pulled you into a slow but passionate kiss. You melted into him, kissing back and grabbing a handful of his shirt. You had been with him so long, yet every kiss felt just as exhilarating as the first. You would never get tired of how perfectly he fit against you and were sure you would remember the taste of him forever.

Your lips moved against his, and his tongue asked for quiet entry, which you were more than happy to give. Rindou let his hands wander, from your neck down to your back and waist, until eventually they landed on your ass, pulling you a little closer. A pleased sounds left his lips at the lack of fabric. He loved when you wore his big shirts with nothing but some shorts or a pair of panties underneath. You sighed into the kiss and wrapped your arms around his neck, egging him on as his hand wandered further, explored your body. They eventually settled between your thighs, ready to pull your panties aside.

Without a warning you leaned back, breaking the kiss. The younger Haitani looked at you, confused.

“I was thinking,” you started, placing a brief kiss on his neck as an apology, “I want to try something new tonight.”

Rindou looked at you quizzically, unsure what to make of the sudden request. “Something new?” He raised an eyebrow.

You nodded. “I want to… take care of you and…” You weren’t sure how to convince him.

“Can I tie you up?”

Rindou looked at you surprised, genuinely not knowing what to say

“I’m not sure I…” he started. You knew full well the younger Haitani wouldn’t agree immediately. He never outright said it, but pleasing you, seeing your blissed-out face, fueled his ego immensely. The knowledge that only he got to see this version of you, that only he could make you feel that good, always pushed him further.

“Baby, I should be taking care of you,” he said simply. Even after a bad day at work, he still wanted to spoil you. You leaned forward, straddling his lap now, your fingers brushing his hair back, hands cupping his face.

“You always do that anyway, Rin,” you replied, your voice soft and laced with quiet admiration. “Just push that ego of yours to the side and let me return the favor for once.”

“And tying me up is required because…?”

You laughed softly. “Because I know you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands to yourself otherwise.”

His eyes met yours, and you could see the hesitation. And buried even deeper, a need he rarely let surface. A want to be taken care of. To feel your touch and just exist in it for a while.

“Please,” you mouthed, placing a featherlight kiss on his lips.

Rin sighed dramatically, though he was clearly pretending, and pressed his forehead against yours. “Fine,” he finally said. “But you’re not taking this from me.”

Before you could react, he hooked his arms under your legs, the other steady at your back, and stood up in one smooth motion. Not a single sign of strain as he carried you toward the bedroom, bridal style.

“Riiin,” you laughed in his arms, “you’re hopeless.”

______________________

Rindou placed you down on the bed, the mattress dipping under your weight. He started unbuttoning his vest, tossing it somewhere into the corner of the room before doing the same with his shirt.

In the meantime, you crawled further up the bed, reaching for one of the pillows and pulling out a pair of police-grade handcuffs from underneath. The lavender-haired man followed your movement. “You little…” he muttered, voice clearly amused. “You had this planned all along, huh?”

You shot him a grin. “Knew you couldn’t say no to me.”

Rindou had gotten stripped off everything but his briefs, the dim light catching on his toned body and the few small scars scattered across his skin. He stepped closer to the bed, bending down, ready to hover over you, when you stopped him.

“Ah-ah,” you said, patting the space next to you. “Sit down here.”

He looked at you for a moment, considering arguing, but eventually decided he didn’t quite have the energy for it. So instead he sat, the soft mattress giving way, eyes fixed on you. You were still only dressed in one of his favorite t-shirts and a pair of lacy underwear, so straddling him was easy. You climbed onto his lap, settling there, a self-satisfied grin playing on your lips as you looked down at him.

“Hands, please,” you said.

And to your surprise, Rindou obliged with no hesitation, lifting his arms and resting them above his head against the headboard.

You leaned over him, the metallic clink of the handcuffs filling the quiet as you opened them and secured his wrists to the bars of the bed. You gave them a pull, making sure they were tight enough that he couldn’t slip out but not enough to hurt.

When you sat back, facing him again, something in Rindou’s expression had shifted.

“Cat got your tongue?” you teased.

The younger Haitani looked at you, a hint of defiance returning to his features. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m paying you back after this,” he said.

You chuckled and leaned in, placing a soft kiss on his cheek before lifting his chin so he had to look at you.

“Well,” you murmured, “all I have to do is not let you go, then.”

You reached back for the pillow again and pulled out a piece of fabric - a blindfold.

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Rindou said, but you hushed him, pressing a finger gently against his lips.

“Maybe you’re not the only one who doesn’t play fair,” you teased. “You can’t expect me to be around you and not pick up a few bad habits.”

You tied the fabric over his eyes, securing it at the back of his head, then waved your hand in front of his face to make sure he couldn’t see anything.

Satisfied, you settled back down, your clothed core resting against his.

“Rin…” There was a hint of surprise in your voice. He was already hard.

You pressed down against him, letting your weight add some friction as you rocked back and forth. Rindou’s lips pressed into a thin line. You placed your hands on his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin as you kept the movement going, the two layers of fabric keeping you from feeling him fully.

The air felt charged, heavy, and you let out a small gasp as his bulge brushed against your clit, your thighs pressing together involuntarily.

Deciding you wanted to take things slower, you moved away from him, settling between his legs instead. Your fingers hooked under his waistband as you motioned for him to lift his hips a bit. When he did, you pulled his briefs down in one smooth motion, discarding them on the floor with the rest of his clothes. The sudden exposure made Rindou shift slightly, the cool air hitting his skin.

You couldn’t help but stare. “So pretty for me.”

“Tch,” Rindou clicked his tongue, turning his head slightly, but the twitch of his cock gave him away. Who would’ve thought it took this little to reduce the bone-crushing Bonten executive to a mess.

You placed one of your hands on his thigh, fingers ghosting over his skin, moving up and down, always stopping just short of where he wanted you most. Your nails left faint scratches behind, and Rindou’s breathing grew heavier, his hands loosening slightly against the restraints.

You kept it up for a while longer, until eventually your boyfriend started bucking his hips up toward you.

“Stop the teasing,” he managed to get out, breath uneven. You couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh, I’m just getting started.”

Your hand moved to his abdomen, pressing him further into the pillows, putting more tension on his arms. You leaned down in front of him, your face just inches from him. Your breath alone was enough to send a shiver down Rindou’s spine. Not knowing what you would do next was driving him insane.

You wrapped your hand around him, applying light pressure at the base before dragging your tongue slowly along the underside. Rindou let out a breathy moan, and you felt yourself react instantly, pussy clenching around nothing. God, he sounded perfect.

Encouraged, you repeated the motion, slow and deliberate, letting your saliva coat him. Eventually, you took him into your mouth and tested the rhythm, your movements careful at first. Rindou tried to hold back, his muscles tensing, clearly trying to not buck up into you. Wanting to hold onto whatever semblance of control he thought he still had.

You adjusted, taking him deeper, your tongue tracing along the vein as you moved.

 “Fuuuck” Rindou finally groaned, his hips lifting, hands pulling against the cuffs with a metallic clink. He wanted to touch you, to tangle his fingers in your hair, to guide you, but he couldn’t. He fucking couldn’t. The darkness behind the blindfold only made everything more intense. All he could focus on was the pull at his wrists and the feeling of your mouth wrapped around him.

His skin felt like it was burning, and you showed no sign of slowing down.

Instead, you added your hand, moving it in time with your mouth, the added pressure drawing another strained sound from him. The noises he made were almost sinful, and you could feel just how much it affected you, too. Your own breathing grew uneven, quiet sounds slipping past your lips as you kept going, eyes half-lidded and saliva dribbling down your chin. The fitted sheets were already a mess, but you couldn’t care less.

Your boyfriend couldn’t help but buck up into you, desperately chasing his release now. He was moving without shame, helpless in his endeavor to make you go faster by gripping your hair, the restraints digging into his wrists. You could feel him throb inside your mouth, felt the erratic stutter of his hips. The nails of your left hand dug into his flesh while your right made quick work of cock, stroking up and down while you worked your mouth on him, taking him all the way in

“I—… I’m gonna,” Rindou stuttered, breath hitching. “Fucking hell.” But he didn’t need to tell you. You already knew he was close, could feel it in the way his body tensed beneath you. So you ignored the tears prickling at the corners of your eyes and kept the relentless pace up, taking him all the way in and forcing yourself to stay still. Rindou released into you with a low groan, legs trembling and breathing labored, the tension finally snapping. You savored every sound he made and willed away your gag reflex, determined to swallow his release. When you finally let his cock slip from your lips, it left with a soft pop.

The Bonten executive was still trying to catch his breath as you slowly propped yourself up, just enough to hover over him. You leaned in, placing kisses all over his chest and belly, soft and lingering, each one filled with quiet affection. Finally, you caught his lips in a deep, passionate kiss, the taste of him still faintly on your tongue. Rindou’s breath hitched sharply when your hand found his slowly softening cock again, and he hissed, his sensitivity still at an all-time high.

“You didn’t think that was all, right?” you teased, your voice light, thumb tracing over his slit and smearing the remnants of his cum over it in slow, deliberate motions.

“At least take these off, so I-”

You kissed him again, cutting the protest off at its core.

“Not happening,” you breathed against his lips, pulling back just enough to spit into your hand and coat his cock with it.

Rindou hissed, his body twitching under the sensation. “S’too much… I’m still…”

“I’m sure my pretty boy can handle more.”

Rindou pulled at the handcuffs behind his head, clearly trying to break free now. You didn’t let it distract you. Instead, you traced slow, deliberate kisses along his jawline, working your way down to his neck. You lingered there before continuing to his shoulder, where you bit down gently, sucking at the skin until it flushed beneath your lips. You wanted to leave your mark on him - to make him feel even a fraction of what he usually made you feel.

“All mine,” you breathed, licking over the spot as you released the tender flesh.

Rindou let out a whine, one unlike anything you’d ever heard from him before. It shot straight through you, soiling your panties even more, if that was even possible. But tonight wasn’t about you. It was about him. And so you forced yourself to ignore the heat pooling low in your core, focusing instead on him, on every small reaction he gave you. Your hand moved along his shaft again, slower this time, gauging every subtle shift in his breathing, every twitch of his body, adjusting the pressure and pace just enough to draw out the most delicious sounds.

A faint sheen of sweat had started to form on Rindou’s body, catching the dim light as his muscles tensed and released beneath your touch. His lips were red, kissed raw, parted slightly as uneven breaths slipped past them. He looked absolutely sinful like this.

A strange sense of possessiveness washed over you as you shifted closer to him, finally pushing your panties down your legs and discarding them before settling back onto his lap. This time, nothing separated you. No fabric, no barrier, just skin against skin. Your slit pressed down against his shaft, the friction immediate and intoxicating, drawing a soft shudder from your body.

Rindou reacted just as strongly, his head falling back as his hips bucked up into you on instinct. You grabbed onto his shoulder for leverage, your other hand curling around his neck as you began to rock your hips slowly, deliberately. Your arousal coated him quickly, slick and warm, and every movement grew easier, wetter. Heat pooled deep in your core, your breath catching as you ground down against him, your nails digging into his skin.

Rindou’s groans and heavy breathing filled the room, low and uneven. He tilted his head upward, facing where he thought you were, trying and hopelessly failing to regain some semblance of control.

“Need more,” he muttered, voice rough and strained. “I want to feel you.”

Your body reacted instantly, a sharp twitch of need at how wrecked he already sounded.

“But aren’t you already?” you teased, though your voice betrayed the fake composure. You weren’t sure how much longer you could keep this up, but you wanted to hear it. Wanted him to beg.

Rindou bit down on his lip, stubbornness flickering across his expression despite everything. He stayed quiet for a moment, holding out, until you suddenly picked up your pace. Your hips rolled harder against him, your slick spreading, practically dripping over his cock as you leaned in, letting soft, breathy moans spill right against his ear.

“Fuck,” he broke, head falling back again, his composure slipping completely. His hands strained against the cuffs with a sharp metallic clink. “I don’t care… please. Just- please give me more. I need it. I need to feel you. Put it inside, fuck… I want to feel you squeezing me. Please…”

Whatever restraint you had left snapped instantly.

You lifted your hips, hand wrapping around his cock to guide him. Lining him up with your entrance, you didn’t hesitate. You sank down onto him in one smooth motion. The sudden stretch pulled a gasp from you, your head falling back as the feeling hit you all at once.

He filled you perfectly.

Rindou’s thighs trembled beneath you, his head falling to the side as a broken sound left him, somewhere between a groan and a breath. He melted into the sensation, completely overtaken, your tightness and warmth overwhelming him in the best possible way.

Your fingers found his jaw, angling it towards you and your lips found his in a heated kiss. Rindou leaned in as far as he could, his tongue running hot over your mouth. You parted your lips, granting him entry, and soon he was exploring you, his tongue meeting yours, moaning into you.

You met him with the same desperation, lips pressing into his, teeth catching lightly on his lower lip as you kept up the steady rhythm of your hips. He was buried impossibly deep inside you, and you could feel everything, the way you clenched around him, the way your body reacted to every movement.

When the tip of his cock brushed against your cervix, a sharp, heated sensation shot through you. Your vision blurred, thoughts going hazy as you chased that high.Rindou rested his head against your shoulder now, his ragged breaths hot against your skin as he felt you tighten around him.

“I’m-” the words caught in his throat. “Keep going… fuck, I’m close,” he managed, his hips snapping up into you as much as the position allowed.

You didn’t slow down. If anything, you held on tighter, crescent-shaped marks forming on his skin where your fingers dug in. One of your hands moved between your bodies, finding your clit, rubbing quick, desperate circles.

Your legs ached, but you ignored then. Your mind was full of nothing but him. The way he felt, his desperate sounds, the way he twitched inside you, drawing another involuntary squeeze from you in response. Your hips lifted and dropped again, almost pulling away completely before sinking back down, the motion enough to push both of you closer to the edge.

You came together with a deep, broken moan, bodies trembling as pleasure rushed through them. Your legs shook, barely holding you up, while Rindou sank back into the pillows, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath.

Your legs felt wobbly, and you stayed there for a moment, just taking it all in. His warmth still inside you, the slowly softening cock and steady rise and fall of his chest beneath you, the comfortable silence that now filled the room. Even his hands, still secured in the cuffs. You wanted to remember this. Every second of it. 

Carefully, you reached forward and untied the blindfold. Rindou scrunched his face slightly as it came off, his eyes unfocused, blinking a few times as he adjusted. Even the dim light seemed too much at first, making him squint.

Slowly, you eased yourself off him, your hands gliding over the sheets until you found the key. With a small twist and a soft click, the restraints came undone, and Rindou’s arms fell limply to the bed, his muscles finally giving out after being held up for so long. 

You leaned back into him, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. “How are you feeling?”

The younger Haitani opened his eyes fully this time and turned his head toward you, taking a slow breath as he grounded himself. His hand settled at the small of your back, warm and steady, his thumb tracing lazy circles against your skin.

Rindou pulled you into a slow kiss.

“Much better…” he admitted honestly, his voice softer than usual.

His eyes searched your face, taking you in like he was afraid to miss a single detail. There was something unguarded in his expression now, something rare. His hand tightened ever so slightly against your back, assuring and familiar.

“I love you,” he said.

He reserved those words for quiet, meaningful moments like this. He showed them every day through his actions, in all the little things he did for you, but hearing them spoken aloud was rare. And because of that, you treasured them even more.

“I love you too, Rin,” you whispered before meeting his lips in a soft kiss, one filled with emotion, carrying everything said and unsaid between you.

No, Rindou Haitani wasn’t a good man in the conventional sense. But here, in this moment, you couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else. And for as long as you could, you would make sure he always had a place to come back to - a place outside of Bonten, far from the bloodshed and noise.

part i. the petals, who is rindou haitani?

at first glance, all rindou seems like is a bratty younger brother that barks and bites all it wants and thrives off it. a boy that bathes in the violence he causes, and that hates the people who act much like he does. i mean, his face says it all —serious, annoyed and irritated— even he can’t seem to stand his own brother sometimes. a boy that crosses the line between maturity and childishness whenever and however he wants.

we see nothing but an impulsive ignorance he lives by, wearing all shit-eating grins and frowns that he switches around on the spot. a boy that will always walk a step behind his brother, whose hand will reach out and touch his back without accomplishment. rindou, who has the chance to stand by his brother and willingly refuses it —at least in his mind.

but that’s just not rindou; merely the fighting fanatic that wants nothing but to be respected. and in his world, that is only through fear.

part ii. balance, what makes rindou, rindou?

at the end of the day, and much like it happens with his brother, rindou has a heart. and contrary to what one may think, it’s more out in the open in comparison to ran.

rindou loves, and he does it with respect and roughness all the same. that actually makes him so compelling, especially with the added info from izana’s thoughts. after all, he’s deemed a good boyfriend (in tenjiku’s standards, not many in there to raise the bar hehe) and he isn’t seen as someone vicious despite what we’ve seen from him (someone who acts more irrationally and wilder than ran, who is seen as vicious). this is because, rindou’s a little softie.

a softie who loves his little hobbies and indulges heavily in them, so much so they become his future. someone who enjoys spending time with his friends, who respects and listens to them attentively (as he’s done with shion) and follows their lead towards shenanigans he doesn’t want to get involved with, and does so anyway due to the care he treats his relationships with (as we have seen with kakucho). especially, someone who loves his brother no matter how scary he may get, to the point of following him into a life of violence and learning how to enjoy it, even though it arguably brings the worst out of him. rindou never was part of the gang ran was in, probably because ran himself never allowed it, and yet picked up fighting and helped his brother anyway (this last bit is just my interpretation).

this is what makes him, in my eyes, a good partner. someone who will tease but who will care just as much if not more. someone who will remain by your side, and stay there with you. although he has his flaws, and these all come to shine when his big brother joins the talk.

part iii. a shadow to himself, but a light for the one who casts it

one of tokyo revengers’ biggest themes is the bond between brothers. it is clear there are other characters more highlighted in this story, but the writing is still there for the haitani brothers. little and subtle.

rindou loves ran, and he completes the latter. they are half and half and each complete the puzzle to the other’s heart. however, ran is rindou’s biggest blessing and curse altogether. this all concludes in rindou’s major flaw, how he carries out the insecurity his brother unconsciously causes him. and this is a clash that we see in rindou’s two star moments: his fight with hakkai and his fight with angry(and hakkai).

let’s start with the first one (it is less crucial) rindou sees his brother day after day doing absolutely nothing but being lazy, yet his presence is still so imposing, his name alone scares people off. rindou’s shoved into the ‘haitani brothers’ as, not himself, but just the younger brother. (he was there, he beat a guy up, he can fight sure, but yeah ran’s just way scarier) this is bound to push the guy who learns about fighting for the love of the game to his very limit (mentally) and this probably got even worse when he had to fight hakkai by himself and lost almost immediately (to the kid he deems weak for depending on his older siblings). rindou doesn’t want people to believe he depends on ran, he wants to be seen as his own person.

his insecurity reaches its peak when he comes across angry though. the opposite of who rindou is, a crybaby who needs his brother with him and admits that very same thing to rindou’s face. no wonder it kind of irked him, it’s like seeing the version of himself other people think he is (at least to rindou). he says it himself, he is in his brother’s shadow, despite ran thinking the opposite. it is this way of thinking that sentences the fight for him to lose. he becomes impulsive, he refuses to acknowledge the strength in those that are weak of heart (he doesn’t want to admit that he is included in that group), and he becomes unaware of what goes on around him. angry’s punch must’ve felt #humble.

personal input, but this could also merge well with the fact that rindou never matches with his brother, and instead chooses the opposite of what the latter does. to stand out in his own way, to stand out from the guy always by his side so that his shadow doesn’t consume him.

i also believe this is something that ran is aware of, thus why he chooses to stand by rindous side to see his dreams come to fruition. giving him his very own spotlight.

in spite of all this, rindou stays with ran through all the good and the bad. remaining by his side even if it bruises his ego, yet he still loves his brother more. in a way, it motivates rindou to fight and find an out for the resentment his brother’s reputation causes.

i personally believe this could cause some issues in a possible romantic relationship with him, the insecurity of not being enough or being a nobody in comparison to the much better option that his brother appears to be. while ran’s love is more cozy, rindou’s is strong —the kind that he doesn’t want to let go of.

part iv. bratty, why is rindou so mischaracterized?

rindou gets the double combo in this department. first he’s got a resting bitch face, second thing is he’s in bonten. i do not like the concept of the bonten trio, but they truly are the trifecta of mischaracterization.

just like with ran, i’ve seen it all with rindou. and considering i’ve seen many interpretations of him being nothing but a mean brute, yeah it’s tough out there. he’s a manwhore, an abuser and a massive alcoholic (apparently).

i’ve said this before, but yes bonten is involved in shady stuff (fork found in kitchen, rest of cutlery found alongside it). this doesn’t mean that rindou’s the devil, especially considering mikey’s dark impulses were influencing them in a way. i think rindou got lucky, being able to not be truly alone in that timeline, to still have ran beside him. now they are both equals, and probably miserable too.

this is why i think rindou, out of pure devotion and stubbornness, will carry any relationship he formed before with him to bonten. it’ll be a test for him to show ran he can take care of his partner and has no fear of what might happen. knowing rindou’s impulsivity, unfortunately, this could end up backfiring massively.

people have received someone with a mean looking face, so that’s what the perception of him in bonten gets. someone rude and terrible to talk to, someone who only drinks and doesn’t have an ounce of heart. big shocker, rindou has a heart of his own and isn’t emotionless to the world around him. he does have emotions, that im sure of (gotta blame the lack of more content about him and his brother, the curse of not being the main character in this particular story).

part v. maturity, envy & impulsivity, afterthought

overall, and to finish this off reheating a bit of my own nachos (from my post on ran), i am in no way saying what is right or what is wrong about rindou. this is how i see his character, and how i think he can have a little more depth to him than what was shown to us in the original work.

i like how rindou is potrayed as being vastly different from ran, from personality to the way they dress. how his character is tied to his brothers physically (their tattoos) to something rooted more within his mind (his need to be seen as someone else other than ran’s little brother, perceived as less because of it).

and, no matter how we’ve seen him get pretty brutal and violent, even the characters around him think to themselves that he’s not all that he pretends. actually kinder, even if he’d probably reject that idea. don’t get me wrong tho, rindou is still very strong, and an scary foe to come across.

at the end of the day rindou is still the other half of the charismatic haitani brothers, he just shows that charisma in a different way than ran does, being more extroverted and in my opinion much more friendlier.

rindou’s biggest insecurity is being in his brother’s shadow, not even realizing that he stands beside ran and not behind him like he himself thinks.

and to end my brief thoughts of rindou as a lover, while i do not think he’s the greenest flag around, i also don’t see the reasoning behind some saying he’d just be terrible. he will struggle and battle his own thoughts a lot, but rindou’s love burns bright and strong —the type that never ends for him, having someone in his heart forever. plus he’d be so fun, i mean he makes music, and i genuinely do believe he’s the type to love videogames and manga and just going out a lot and having lots of fun. he’s so unintentionally funny too, i think his company as a whole would just feel so warm, he’d make a friend or a partner feel cherished.