Dead City [Toji x Reader]
Chapter 4 (18+)
The motel room is silent except for the hum of the AC and the faint sound of traffic outside. You sit on the edge of the bed, fingers brushing absently over the duffel bag still zipped at your side. Your wrists ache where he cuffed you earlier, but the numbness has settled in, dulling the memory.
Toji doesn't sit. He leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyes scanning the street below.
"Sit somewhere," you mutter, more to yourself than to him.
He tilts his head. "Why?"
"Because standing there makes me nervous."
There's a pause. He doesn't move.
"You're nervous anyway." He says flatly.
You huff, but it's more a laugh than a sound of frustration. "I like having someone not six feet above me all the time."
For a moment, his expression doesn't change. Then, almost imperceptibly, his shoulders relax.
He steps forward and sets the duffel on the floor near the bed. He kneels to check the zipper, make sure it's secure. Fingers brushing the bag, but the movement is careful.
You notice how normal and human he looks while he is doing his own thing, you notice how attractive he actually is for his age.
"You... you're not always this scary," you mutter, barely audible.
His hand pauses on the zipper. His back stiffens. "I'm always scary. You just haven't noticed the right part yet."
You bite your lip. And then you realize you're close enough to him to notice something else- his scent. Smoke, sweat, faint soap. Real. Tangible. And suddenly... you feel like you could reach out.
Your hand brushes his as you lift the duffel to inspect the contents. It's quick and unintentional. But it lingers just a second longer than necessary.
Toji doesn't pull away. He doesn't make a move toward you either. He just lets it happen, stiff and controlled, as if he's a wall with a pulse.
"Careful," he mutters, not meeting your eyes. "You're gonna get hurt if you start getting soft."
You laugh quietly, and it surprises you more than him. He barely reacts, but the corner of his mouth twitches. A crack in the armor.
But then he straightens, brushing imaginary dust off his jacket, eyes hard again.
"Enough," he says. "We move before dark. Don't get sentimental."
-
Megumi texts again while you're tying your shoes.
Megumi:
I don't care what you say. I'm seeing you tonight. I need to know you're okay.
Your chest tightens.
You reread the message twice, then glance up.
Toji leans against the wall across the room, arms crossed. Watching you like you're a variable he hasn't decided how to handle yet.
"He's not dropping it," you say quietly. "If I cancel again, he'll know something's wrong."
Toji exhales through his nose slowly.
"Yeah," he mutters. "I figured."
Your head snaps up. "So...?"
"So you go," he says. "You act normal."
Hope sparks, then immediately dims.
"I'll be there," he adds. "You won't see me."
Your stomach twists. "You're following us."
"I'm keeping him alive," Toji corrects. "Big difference."
You swallow. "He can't know. About any of this."
Toji's jaw tightens. "I know."
You slowly disappear into the bathroom to make yourself presentable for your meeting with Megumi.
You stare at the bathroom like it personally betrayed you. It smells faintly of old soap and damp carpet, the kind of place that looks like it's been surviving since the 90's. The sink wheezes when you turn it on, coughing out lukewarm water with zero pressure. No shower. No tub. No mirror that doesn't warp your reflection into something unrecognizable.
You sigh, then grab the only two mugs in the room, mismatched, chipped, probably older than you. You let the sink fill them one by one, splashing water carefully over your shoulders, goosebumps rising as the air hits your skin. It's awkward and slow and you keep almost spilling , but you make it work. You scrub with the tiny bar of motel soap, rinsing with mug after mug, laughing under your breath because this is ridiculous, but also... kind of funny.
When you're done, you towel off with something that feels more like sandpaper than fabric and move on to your hair.
You have no comb so you run your fingers through it instead, again and again, coaxing it into something intentional. You smooth flyaways with a little water, twist and retwist sections until it looks soft instead of messy.
Your outfit situation isn't much better.
You only have what you're already wearing, a top and a short skirt you already slept in. You shake them out, check for wrinkles, then get creative. You knot the hem of the top slightly so it sits better. You adjust the skirt higher on your waist.
You catch your reflection again.
Tired eyes, bare skin.
You slowly inhale and exhale and step out of the bathroom, closing the door behind you. You're halfway across the room when your foot catches on the edge of the rug. You stumble, arms flailing uselessly, you throw your hand forward to grab something before you hit the floor, Toji runs towards you and the moment he closes the gap between you two, your hand catches something, the waistband of his grey sweatpants, your knees collide on the floor and his sweatpants drop to his ankles and his massive thick cock jumps free hitting you in the face.
Pain explodes behind your eye.
You cry out, covering your eye with your palm, vision swimming. The ache pulses sharp and deep, radiating through your skull.
"Shit-" Toji immediately pulls his pants up and tucks his cock away.
He drops at your side and grips your shoulders, steadying you, eyes scanning your face with lethal focus.
"Don't move." he says.
You blink through tears. "I'm fine-"
"No, you're not."
He tilts your chin up gently and swears under his breath.
You don't need a mirror to know it's bad.
Your eye already feels swollen.
Your throat tightens and your cheeks turn red through the tears. "I can't go like this."
Toji releases you immediately, standing up like he crossed a line.
"You're still going," he says. "Canceling now makes it worse."
"He's going to ask," you whisper, you can't hide the red shade creeping on your face, you take a quick glance at Toji and wonder how he is so shameless about this situation as if nothing happened.
Toji runs a hand through his hair, pacing once.
"...Then you lie."
Your laugh is shaky. "About what? I look like I got hit." I mean it's not like I can tell him that his presumed dead father is actually alive and hit me in the face with his male parts accidentally.
"You fell," he says. "You're tired. You're stressed. You weren't watching where you were going."
"No one's going to believe that."
You press your fingers to your bruised eye, heart aching for a reason that has nothing to do with pain.
-
Later, you stand in front of the motel mirror.
The bruise is ugly. Darkening fast.
Toji hands you sunglasses
"It's night," you say weakly.
"Wear them anyway."
You grab them and put them on.
-
Megumi is waiting outside the café when you arrive.
Concern floods his face the second he sees you.
He steps closer. "Hey- what happened?"
You force a smile that feels like it might crack.
"I fell," you say lightly. "I'm just really tired."
He frowns, eyes lingering on the edge of the bruise visible beneath the glasses.
"...That looks bad."
"I'm okay," you insist, reaching for his hand. "I promise."
He squeezes it back, still unconvinced but he nods.
Across the street, unseen by both of you, Toji watches.
Hands in his pockets. Jaw tight. Eyes sharp.
Every instinct in him screams that this is a bad idea.
But for now, he lets you have this moment.
And hopes it doesn't cost him everything.
