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nekumiko · 1 year

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For You, I Will

Fandom: Seventeen

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Light Angst

Rated: T

Chapter: 1/?

Word count: 2.5k

Chapter One: Iced Americano

As far as clichés go, their first meeting did involve coffee and exchanging numbers before they parted ways.

Except it was not a meet-cute.

In fact, she even cried.

Who wouldn't, when you're just trying to get through a stressful day and suddenly a venti-sized iced americano gets dumped onto the front of your shirt?

"I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was –” the culprit's apology is cut off when he hears it.

A sob.

Seungkwan's I'm sorry's grow even more frantic. People are starting to notice them, and a misleading article is not what he wants his coffee run to end up in.

But as she stands frozen right there on the sidewalk, partly from the cold liquid and the other from shock, he wills himself to calm down.

Cautiously, he touches her arm and asks in a now-gentle tone, "Are you okay?"

She finally looks up. Her face mask only allows her teary eyes to be seen, but he guesses that they're about the same age.

"I'm so, so sorry," he continues. "Let me help you, please?"

Luckily, they find a nearby bench. Seungkwan hands her all the tissues that came with his coffee order so she could dry her shirt, but a huge stain has already formed. He could only watch as she gave up with a sigh.

She then turns away from him to pull her mask down and wipe her dried tears away. "Sorry," she speaks for the first time. "That was very childish. This isn't even my favorite shirt."

"It's okay. I… can see there's more to it than that."

She sniffles. "Yeah… just a bad day."

"And I made it worse. I’m really sorry."

She shakes her head, pulling her mask back up so she could meet his eyes. "It was an accident. Don't worry."

Still, that does not make it okay for Seungkwan. "Please let me buy you a new one!"

"A new what?"

"A new shirt."

She gasps and then aggressively waves her hands in refusal. "No need! It's fine. I'm on my way home anyway."

"Please, I insist."

"Sir," she says with a slight frown now, starting to put distance between them on the bench, "I don't even know you."

Seungkwan is left speechless for a moment. On the bright side, this assures him that his hat-and-face-mask disguise today is effective. But that is working against his favor right now, as he could only reply with, "I'm sorry. I can't really reveal my identity here ."

"And why?"

"I can't show my face here ."

"Then at least tell me your name first?"

He takes a deep breath. Here goes. "...Boo Seungkwan."

"..."

"Do you mean the idol? Who's appeared in a lot of TV shows?"

This is getting even more embarrassing. "Yes."

"You have got to be kidding me."

He sighs. "You see? I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"I really can't! Because I would've known!"

"What do you mean? Are you… a CARAT?"

"Yes!"

Good job, Seungkwan. You just ruined the day of your own group's fan.

She crosses her arms. "Well, okay, I guess you do sound like him. And your eyes…" she trails off and looks away, as if suddenly shy. But it is then that she notices something beside Seungkwan.

He follows her line of sight and finds his almost-empty coffee cup.

She clears her throat before continuing, "And you did spill an iced americano on me."

If the situation had been any lighter, he would've laughed at that.

"But this is just too good to be true, you know?"

Seungkwan looks around. There aren't a lot of people around, so maybe…?

"Woah, what are you doing?"

He is moving closer to her again. For some reason, he really wants her to believe him, and he tells himself it's because he has to convince her that he has good intentions. "Okay, I can show my face to you, but I have to be… close."

"Sir –"

"Just a quick peek? Enough for only you to see." He reaches up to touch his face mask.

"Hey, no!" she almost-shouts, grabbing his hand. It's her turn to look around for passersby, and though she finds none, she continues in a semi-whisper, "That would be too risky if ever you were telling the truth! If you really are my –" she pauses, eyes widening. It's as if she's filtering out her next words as she lets go of his hand. "If you really are him, I don't want to get you in trouble."

Once again, he is at a loss. She's right. What was I thinking?

But then she sighs in defeat. "Fine. Let's say you're a good person for now. But where are we going anyway?"

Seungkwan straightens up as he looks back at the street. "There's a nearby shop that I think would suit your style."

She appears to be thinking about it for a few silent moments as she watches a few cars pass by. And then she looks back at him. "Alright. It's still broad daylight anyway, so I could just kick your ass if you try anything."

He chuckles, standing up. "Deal."

"And nothing too expensive, okay?"

"Mhmm." He then takes off his jacket to drape it on her shoulders. "To cover your stained shirt as we walk."

He could see her eyes smile. "Thank you."

~~~

"Boo-nim."

"Boo-nim?" Seungkwan repeats with a small laugh.

"How else would I call you?" She peeks out from the dressing room's curtain. "Without… you know, catching anyone's attention. If you ever are him. "

"You’ve got a point." He nods. "Anyway, do you need anything?"

She hesitates. "Well, this shirt is too cute. I like it so much."

"Show me?"

"But it's also too expensive."

"That's okay."

"No, it's not! I'll find a new one."

"At least show it to me first?"

"And why?"

"I also think it would look good on you."

She hums in suspicion, but pulls back the curtain anyway.

Seungkwan nods in approval. "Let's take it."

"I already told you –!"

"Excuse me," he calls out to a nearby staff. "We'll take this shirt. Is it okay if she wears it now?"

"Boo-nim!" she tries to protest, but gets completely ignored.

A while later, she’s back in the dressing room to take the tag off and put the newly-bought shirt on. Despite her concern, it does suit her. And to get it for free? This might just be the only good thing to happen to her today, and for that, she feels grateful. You don't meet kind strangers like these every day. So she steps out to thank her companion, only to find him seemingly lost in thought. "Boo-nim? Are you okay?"

Seungkwan seems to snap out of it when he hears her concerned voice. "Yes! Are you done?"

She nods. "I'm sorry for all the trouble today."

"I'm the one who spilled coffee on you. It's all on me. So again, I'm sorry. I hope this could make up for it."

"Actually, just you helping me calm down was already enough. A new shirt isn't really necessary, but thank you very much. You're being too kind."

They smile at each other – at least, their eyes did – until Seungkwan starts to fidget. "I… uh, never really caught your name."

"Oh." This surprises her too. Then again, she'd been distrustful of him earlier. She laughs. “Sorry, I think we were too focused on you proving that you’re…” she trails off. Suddenly, the reality of the situation comes back to her. What if…?

"Oh, that reminds me,” he says in a low whisper, “maybe I can do that face reveal here?"

That unnerves her even more. Just how would she react if he's an actual idol? And the Boo Seungkwan of all people? "W-where?"

After confirming that no one's paying attention to them, he ushers her back to the dressing room, this time getting in with her before pulling the curtain closed again. "Okay. This might be surprising but please, can I ask you to keep your voice down?"

She could only nod.

And so Seungkwan takes off his hat, shakes his hair out, and finally pulls down his mask.

And just like that, she's in tears again. She covers her face with her hands as she suppresses a whine. This day couldn't get more embarrassing.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"It's you. It really is you all this time." She peeks at him from between her fingers. "I really can't tell you my name."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's like I'm stepping on a forbidden boundary."

"Oh, come on." Seungkwan gently pulls her hands away from her face. "Aren't I just a person, too?"

This time, she's the one left speechless. Oh no. Did I just offend him?

"You've been with me for the past hour without knowing who I really am. But we're getting along already, right? I just wanted to keep this going, to get to know you more."

"Are you sure?"

He smiles. "Yes."

This is the smile she's always adored from behind the screen, from photos, from afar. No, this smile is, right at this moment, exclusively for her. With that, she tells him her name.

Seungkwan repeats her name, testing it on his tongue, and it's just so heavenly to hear. "It's nice to meet you." He then lets go of her hands so he could give her his phone. "Can I have your number too?"

Her hands are shaking, but she manages to carefully type in her contact details.

To make sure, Seungkwan sends her a message: a mere 'Hi' sticker.

She feels like fainting.

"Lastly," he says, putting his phone back in his pocket, "can I also see your face?"

Now this effectively saps all her positive feelings again. "Oh no. I'm barefaced. And I've been crying a lot today!"

"I am barefaced right now too, see?"

"But you still look beautiful…" she mutters.

"What?" He moves closer to hear her.

"Nothing! Please, I'll just send you a selca."

"Come on, it's just us."

"I really don't –"

"Okay, since you said I'm being too kind by buying you a shirt, you can consider this as payment."

"That's unfair!"

Seungkwan softly says her name, pouting. "Please? How can we be friends if I don't know what you look like?"

She sighs. Not that pout. "O-okay." Her heart is beating so fast as she pulls her mask down. Yet even now that she's nervous, she finds that Seungkwan's smile is contagious in person too.

"There, that's better. And you do look pretty, especially with a smile."

Just then, the curtain is pulled back from the outside. In a blur, Seungkwan is suddenly pulling her into him, hiding his face in her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, "there's a mirror behind you." True enough, he is facing the room's mirror, and if he wasn't fast enough, the staff would've seen his face.

But everything happening right now is too surreal! Though his arms are only hovering around her, she could still feel him breathing so close to her. She could smell his perfume, much stronger now than when his jacket was draped around her. "It's okay," she manages to whisper back.

Despite the displeased staff scolding them about using the dressing room for "things they shouldn't do in public," they thankfully got out of the store without revealing Seungkwan's identity.

And as soon as they part ways at the bus stop, they start chatting.

On her way home while he gets ready for practice.

As she prepares dinner while he's taking a break.

As she gets ready for bed while he's cooling down after practice.

'Boo-nim!' she types, insisting to use it as a nickname. 'If I close my eyes now, I wouldn't be waking up from a long dream, right?'

'Of course,' Seungkwan is quick to reply. 'Now, it was really nice meeting you, and I loved talking to you. But you need to rest already. I put you through so much today.'

'Stop saying that!' She shakes her head at his stubbornness. ' You rest now too, please. You might be busy tomorrow.'

Seungkwan sighs, thinking about tomorrow's schedule. 'I actually will be. How about you?’

'Nah, it's still the weekend, so I could relax.'

'I wish I could do that too.'

That makes her pause. As much as she wants to, as he put it, 'keep this going,' she realizes this might just be a one-time thing after all. Seungkwan just happened to be free today, and she just happened to be there.

'Did you fall asleep already?'

It's not anyone's fault. They just live in two very different worlds. So the least she could do is to not make him feel guilty. 'No, sorry. Just fixed something here. Don't forget to take breaks, okay? Fighting!'

'Thank you. Talk to you again tomorrow! I'll message you during breaks.'

She smiles a bit sadly as she replies with an okay, along with a wish good night.

Exiting the messaging app, she is faced by Seungkwan's smile again… in her phone wallpaper. Now that she's seen it up close, what used to make her feel giddy now fills her with yearning.

"I really hope I'll meet you again."

~~~

"Someone's been glued to his phone since he got back."

Seungkwan briefly glances at Seokmin and Soonyoung before he presses 'Send.' He then pockets his phone. "No, I'm not."

"Did I say it's you?" Seokmin smiles teasingly.

"Whatever." Seungkwan drinks from his water bottle. "I'm just scrolling through Instagram."

"Scrolling through someone's Instagram profile," Soonyoung now joins in.

"Why are you two even looking at my phone?"

The two older members only hound him even more, moving to trap him on both sides. "You met someone today?" Seokmin presses on. "Or someone you already know but –"

"Nothing like that!" Noticing that some other members are now looking at them, he continues more softly, "Stop it, please. Not now."

Soonyoung and Seokmin share a look before they both pat Seungkwan on the back.

"Go away." He groans as he tries to shake them off.

“Okay, okay!” They laugh as they both run away.

With a tired sigh, Seungkwan pulls his phone out again to check her new message. Seeing that she finally said good night, he smiles again… until he notices Seokmin and Soonyoung still watching him from afar.

Okay, maybe I was a bit curious. But it's just normal to want to know a new friend more, right?

With how she almost didn't tell him her name earlier, Seungkwan considers himself lucky that she gave her Instagram handle when he asked. At least, that means he got through to her, right? That she wants to treat him as an equal too.

So while he'd been waiting for her replies, he practically studied her feed (but was careful not to interact with any post even if he wanted to). By now, he'd already noted a few conversation topics he could casually bring up sometime.

Because he does plan to meet her more often.

He'd just have to find a good time and place. And of course, keep some overly-curious hyungs off his back.

#seungkwan x reader #seventeen fanfiction #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen x reader #nekumiko writes

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nekumiko · 2 years

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random hcs:

mikey is a little spoon, especially on bad days.

mikey hides his face in your shoulder when he feels the tears coming, and stays there as he silently, finally cries.

mikey melts into an embrace, so he doesn't allow just anyone to hug him. you're one of the few exceptions.

#mikey x reader #tokyo revengers imagine #sano manjiro x reader

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nekumiko · 2 years

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random hc:

mikey obsessed with small kisses. just small pecks all throughout the day that he could get anytime, anywhere. quick smooches when you meet up, during your time together, before you part ways.

it makes the longer kisses much sweeter and worth looking forward to~

#mikey x reader #tokyo revengers imagine #mikey headcanon

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nekumiko · 2 years

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would also reblog some of my tokrev HCs and scenarios from my main blog since they're still pieces i wrote, hehe

but tokrev requests aren't open because i haven't caught up to the manga at all. maybe someday? i still have piled up daiya requests in my inboxes, so i should probably get to those first...

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nekumiko · 2 years

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I Knead You

Fandom: Tokyo Revengers

Genre: Fluff and Angst, Romance

Rated: T

Words: 2.1k

Chapter: 1/?

Summary: "Can't we just be kids in love sometimes?"

Mikey takes interest in the baker who makes his favorite bread. She thinks he's just a normal delinquent who skips school to hang out with her. But if their innocent crush starts to run deeper, are they really ready for a world more chaotic than they expected?

Chapter One: A Way to a Man's Heart

She’d noticed them.

Those dark eyes watching the bread she’s carefully arranging in the glass case. They would curiously trail from the tongs to the bread, and then would patiently wait for the next one.

Once she finishes placing the final piece in the end row, she finally looks at them.

And those eyes are now looking at her. Intently. Intensely.

She feels her cheeks warm up. She could only see the person’s eyes and nose with how close they are to the glass case, but their gaze pins her on the spot. As if she’s being scrutinized. After a few long seconds, she finally manages to look away, to look down at the bread in front of her. And a thought seizes her. Maybe he just wants to order already and I've been very slow? In her panic, she hurriedly stands up, barely avoiding bumping her head against the glass case.

Instantly, a boy about her age springs up from the other side.

And again, she stops. Is he the one staring at me?

His school blazer is carelessly thrown over his shoulders as if it's a cape. Blond, shoulder-length hair tied in a half-ponytail. And the same dark eyes that hold her gaze once more.

A delinquent.

In contrast, he currently has a giddy smile on, and his face is all soft features and clear of any cuts and bruises.

He's beautiful.

“Hello,” he begins, “are you the baker?”

“Uh, only part-time.”

“Really?" He looks genuinely surprised. "So you don’t bake every day?”

“No."

He crosses his arms and frowns a little, seeming to be in thought.

"...Is there something wrong with my bread?"

At this, he looks up again as if he's offended. "No! Your bread is perfect! I love them!"

Now, it's her turn to be taken aback. "Oh, um, thank you." She smiles, albeit awkwardly.

"I'm just trying to remember when the bread tastes best. Because that would mean you baked them."

She gasps. The only other baker here is her uncle, who has been running this bakery for years. I can't possibly be compared to that! She laughs nervously and replies, "Sir, thank you so much for your praise, but I'd appreciate it more if you come here every day! We have fresh, delicious batches each day and—”

A laugh suddenly cuts her off. "Mei," her aunt, who mans the counter, gently says, "the young man is basically just asking when he could see you again."

Her jaw drops.

At the same time, the boy clears his throat and looks away, shoving his hands deeper in his pockets. "I mean, I did figure it out just now…"

"Really?" she asks. "How?"

He turns back to her with a mischievous grin. "I told you. I just have to remember when I like the bread here the most: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. So, is that when you work?"

What do I do with this guy? "Y-yes."

His grin widens.

Mei sighs in defeat but smiles back as she picks up her tongs again. This isn't usually part of her job, but she didn't want to break the boy's happy spell just yet. “Okay, then. What would you like to buy?”

“Everything you baked today,” he replies without missing a beat.

Her forehead creases into a small frown, confused. "Do you mean… one of everything here?”

“Of course. You can even make it two of—”

“Oi, Mikey!” A tall guy suddenly enters the bakery, the tinkling of the windchime by the door a contrast to his booming voice. “How much longer are you gonna take just ordering?”

The boy — Mikey — only laughs as he looks at his approaching friend. And then he tilts his head towards her direction. “I finally met the baker!”

The taller guy promptly looks at her, unnerving her with his glare. Clad in a black-and-white patterned long jacket, he screams ‘delinquent’ even more with his blond hair shaved at the sides to reveal a dragon tattoo on his left temple.

“H-hi?” she says in an attempt to maintain professionalism.

He relaxes his shoulders, and while his frown remains, he addresses her more calmly. “Just please give him his order. We’re kinda in a hurry.”

She nods before turning back to Mikey. “Are you serious with…?” she trails off, still unbelieving.

“Yeah, I’ll have one of each. Ah, no, I’ll take two from this new batch. These are my favorite.”

“Okay.” Mei hides her proud smile from him by grabbing a paper bag and sitting back down to start filling it with bread. “Are you feeding this to a big group?”

“Huh?” Mikey places his arms on top of the glass display case (which is totally not allowed) and leans until he can look at her from above. “No way! You baked that just for me~”

She pauses to look up at his earnest expression. What do I even reply to that?

Mikey only disappears from Mei’s sight because her aunt lightheartedly - which is unusual - pushes him off the case, laughing again as she says, “Please let the poor girl do her work.” And then she starts ringing up his order.

She silently finishes packing, and ends up handing two full paper bags to Mikey. “Are you sure you can finish all these?”

He grins happily. “Of course. I told you I like all of them.” Mikey starts to leave, but as his friend opens the door for him, he looks back at her to wave goodbye. “I’ll see you on Friday, Mei!” And he’s out.

She couldn’t even reply with the usual ‘Thank you for your patronage’ out of disbelief.

“He’s been here every day for a while now, you know,” her aunt says, breaking her trance.

“Really?”

She nods, a teasing smile on her face. “It’s true that he loves the bread you make. So I think he’s really waiting for you to come out all this time to personally tell you that.”

“Ugh, not you too.” Mei shakes her head and then goes back to the kitchen.

Theirs is a small, unassuming family bakery off to the side of the business district. While they are not as popular as other shops, loyal customers would still flock to them because of years’ worth of reputation. So it shouldn’t be strange for someone like Mikey to frequent the shop. But is he really going to start coming by on her shifts only from now on?

Even on her days off, Mei still has to pass by the bakery on her way home, so she looks through its windows today to check.

No sign of that blond boy anywhere.

She feels a bit guilty. But it’s not like she can force him to buy bread every day, can she? On another note, she couldn’t shake off the fuzzy feeling she’s been getting whenever she remembers their encounter. Baking is only a hobby and a way to help her family, but because she’s in the kitchen all the time, she hadn't been able to think about how her food could make someone happy until yesterday.

“Are you looking for me?” a familiar voice suddenly says from behind her.

Mei turns around, startled.

There he is, the boy who has occupied her thoughts since yesterday. Up close, she realizes he’s a head taller than her. And that he is undeniably good-looking, especially now that the afternoon sunlight is right behind him like a halo. But it’s his knowing grin that makes her heart jump.

“No, I’m not!” she replies, stepping back a little. “Just checking to see if things are okay. Out of habit, you know.”

He hums, sounding unconvinced.

“Anyway, you should go inside before the bakery gets busy!”

“Huh? I’m not going in.”

She bites her lip, expecting what he’s about to say next.

“Because you’re not working today.”

Mei narrows her eyes at him. “Okay, look. Why are you teasing me? Who even are you?”

“Oh, that’s right. I didn’t get to tell you my name yesterday.”

“That’s not -”

“But I think you’ve heard it? Anyway, I go by Mikey. You can call me that too.”

She pauses. She had quickly lost control of this conversation. “Okay… Mikey…”

“And you’re Mei, right?”

She gasps, placing her hands on her hips. “How are we on a first-name basis right away?”

He only smiles.

“Okay, fine. It’s not like I care about it that much.” Not because you’re cute. “Anyway, it’s nice to properly meet you, Mikey. But I think I need to go now. So… see you tomorrow?”

“Wait, I can walk with you!”

“Huh?”

“It’s getting dark, you know.”

Now, Mei laughs nervously. “I think I should be more concerned about letting a complete stranger know where I live.”

“Well then, I will be a friend who can keep you company on your way home.”

“You’re pretty persistent, aren’t you?”

He shrugs. “I can also give you a ride on my bike next time?”

She bites back a giddy smile. Maybe he is genuine about being friends. “Okay. But I’m warning you: I’m pretty strong, okay? I can easily punch you if you do something weird.”

Mikey grins again, as if accepting a challenge. “Sure.”

They start walking then, with Mei leading the way and Mikey falling in step beside her. After passing by a few establishments, she speaks again, “Wait, if you’re not even going to buy something from the bakery, why are you waiting outside?”

He looks startled. “Uh, isn’t it obvious?”

“That you’re stalking me?”

“What? No! I don’t even know what school you go to.”

“Well, I don’t know. You might have someone find that out for you today and then you’d be there outside my school tomorrow.”

Mikey laughs. “Do you really think that's something I would do?"

"Well…" She suddenly goes quiet, looking down at the path. Oh no, Mei, what if you just misjudged him? He does look like a delinquent, but—

"As if I want anyone else among the guys to see you," he mutters.

She side-eyes him as he kicks a stone from the pavement. 'The guys?'

Mikey then turns back to her. "But would you want that?”

“Want what?”

"For me to wait outside your school."

She gasps. "No way! That's too embarrassing!"

“Huh? Why?”

“It just is! People might think…” she trails off. That you're my...

“Hmm?”

“Ah, nothing! Let’s just meet up at the bakery.”

“Oh, so does that mean I can walk you home from now on? Even after your shifts?”

She lightly pushes him. “How do our conversations end up like this?”

Mikey chuckles, but his smile soon disappears when his stomach lets out a loud rumble.

Mei immediately stops them both from walking. “Mikey.” She shakes her head. “If you’re hungry, you could’ve bought something back there.”

He huffs, crossing his arms. “No way!”

She frowns. “Are you really going to keep this up?”

“Yes.”

“Then I can’t help you.”

“Fine with me.”

They stare each other down.

Until Mikey’s stomach grumbles again.

“Please,” Mei says with genuine concern in her expression now, “you need to eat. You’re our customer and I can’t just let you go hungry!” She tugs at his arm, intent on going back to the bakery.

But this guy stands his ground.

Mei sighs. “Fine. I won’t let you walk me home if you’re like this.”

Mikey suddenly looks horrified. “Mei,” he whines, “don’t you just have anything on you right now?”

“What?”

He groans, looking away to mutter, “I… don’t really have anything to buy with today.”

And then she remembers that he bought each of everything at the bakery yesterday. She bites back a giggle. “You’re so ridiculous.” Then she opens her school bag. “I think I only have a few sweets here, though.”

“That’s okay!”

She hands him a few pieces of candy. “Don’t buy more than you could handle next time.”

“Actually, Ken-chin bought it for me. He’s not here right now, so…”

“Ken-chin?”

“That guy with me from yesterday.”

“Oh my god. Please tell me you’ll pay him back.”

“Huh? Of course I will!”

“Mikey.”

“I swear.” Mikey reaches over to ease out the frown on her forehead. “Don’t worry too much.” He smiles at her again. "Here." He takes her hand and places half of the candies. "These are yours anyway, so let's share."

"Oh, um, okay." She then watches him pop three candies all at once in his mouth.

Mikey is an enigma to her. With his recklessness and straightforwardness, he's not like any friend she's ever had. And with someone like him, she's sure she'd always be on her toes.

Is it the air of mystery—the lingering sense that there’s so much more behind his sweet smile that doesn’t match his dark gaze—that makes her feel more inclined to keep him around?

She doesn’t know yet. But right now, as she smiles back and continues walking home with him, Mei thinks that she wants to know him more.

#tokyo revengers fanfiction #mikey x oc #sano manjiro x oc #sano manjiro #mikey #nekumiko writes

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nekumiko · 3 years

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UPDATE!

I've officially decided to add a second chapter! please stay tuned!

Does Everything Grow Fruitfully for Kita?

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

Genre: Fluff, Light angst

Rated: T

Words: 3.6k

Chapter: 1/2

Summary: When his friendship with their club manager starts to bloom into something more, would Kita do something about it?

If you would ask Kita when he fell in love with her, he’d say it was that time she cooked rice without a rice cooker. At least, that’s as far back as he could remember seeing her in a different light.

The Inarizaki Volleyball Club probably doesn’t need a manager because of how Kita keeps everything well-maintained - the equipment, uniforms, and even the restroom. But it wouldn’t hurt to have extra help.

Although, since she only needed a club under her name, she was allowed to not even attend every day, and she had done just that for a year. But in her second year, Kita eventually found her regularly working beside him to make sure the team had everything they needed in practices and matches. He did ask her why, but she quickly changed the topic to picking up the uniforms from the laundromat.

It was on that unusually stormy night during the team’s summer training camp.

Because of the howling winds outside, the lights have been flickering on and off in the neighborhood, so practice is cut short before it becomes completely dark. They return to the inn, where the couple who owns the place tells them they would prepare dinner in advance. Kita then quickly drops off his bag and changes his clothes so he could help out in the kitchen.

Despite the dimming lights, the middle-aged couple are working fast. The wife is on the stove frying fish, while the husband is making dumplings.

Kita then sees the rice cooker sitting unplugged on the counter. "Excuse me,” he says, catching the attention of the couple. “Do you mind if I help out? I can cook rice traditionally.”

“Oh,” the husband replies, “we appreciate it, but your manager is already taking care of that.”

“She is?”

As if on cue, she emerges from behind a wall, carrying a pot. “Kita-san?” she calls out before smiling brightly. “You've come at the right time! Please help me.” And then she disappears behind the wall again.

Kita finds her sitting beside an open sack of rice grains, the scoop in her hand and the pot on her lap. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

She looks up. “Oh, nothing's wrong. I just never cooked for the team before, so I don’t know if this is enough.”

He sits beside her and reaches for the pot.

She looks startled for a moment, but then smiles again and gives it to him.

It takes Kita a moment to carefully consider his answer. “You need more than this.” He gently takes the scoop in her hand, brushing against her warm skin. He scoops more grains into the pot and then stands up again. “Come on.”

She stands as well, but immediately holds onto the pot, stopping Kita from walking away. “What do you think you’re gonna do with this?”

“What else? I’ll be cooking rice.”

“But I told them I’d do it!”

“I can do it.”

“I can do it too.” She smirks. “Or are you here to doubt me again, Kita-san?”

He sighs in mock defeat. “Fine.” Then he gives the pot back.

She grins. "Thanks."

“Won’t it be heavy, though? That's a lot of rice to wash.”

She puts the pot in the sink and starts up the faucet, shaking her head. “You always underestimate my strength. I’ve handled heavier stuff than this.” She turns the faucet off and drains the water. “You’re a witness to that.”

Kita stays silent beside her, watching her work and talk at the same time. This is their norm. Light banter, eye contact, hands brushing against each other, standing at close proximity, and watching her back as he helped with her manager duties. But for some reason today, he is focused too much on her exposed nape and her lips, hyperaware of her hands and her voice. He doesn't even realize he'd tuned her actual words out until she looks back at him expectantly.

“Are you okay, Kita-san?"

"Huh? Yes."

She giggles. "I asked you to please move to the side a little. I need light."

"Sorry." Kita then steps aside.

She then holds the pot to her chest level, carefully measuring the amount of water with her finger. And then she puts the lid over the pot.

Kita follows her to the stove, too.

“Oban,” she says softly to the wife, who is just removing a pan from the stove, “I’ll be cooking the rice now.”

The wife thanks her while Kita swoops in to take the pan. “Oban, is there anything else you need more help with?”

The two of them move around the kitchen to clean up and help with plating. From time to time, she would check on the rice, adjusting the fire in the stove. And whenever she does, Kita finds himself watching her intently, not really understanding what’s so... captivating about it. Is it because she’s cooking food for them? Like she mentioned earlier, this is her first time, because she'd only bought food for them before. But is it that unusual? Because surely, as their manager, she’d be making more food for the team from now on.

Finally, she calls him over excitedly. “Kita-san! Look at this!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” she whines. “Why do you always assume something’s wrong?”

He only smiles at her, finally reaching her side.

“Just please look!” She lifts the lid again and continues, “Just look at how perfect my rice is!”

“It does look good.”

“I bet it tastes delicious, too.”

“It would taste like rice.”

She turns to him with a deadpan stare. “Cold.” She covers the pot again, and then pauses. Her lips form into a small smile, but her hands reach for the hem of her shirt to fidget with it as she speaks again. “Hey, Kita-san,” she begins, her gaze still trained on the pot. “Would I make a good wife?”

“You just cooked rice.”

That makes her head whip towards him so fast. Her smile vanishes, her eyes widen, and a pink tint is creeping up on her cheeks. “Ahh, I mean with how --!” she cuts herself off to look away, waving a hand in front of her face. "Never mind. I’ll just go call the others. Dinner would be ready soon.” She hurriedly walks away from him, only stopping by the couple to thank them before exiting the kitchen.

Quite often, Kita has been told that he can’t read the room. And usually, he doesn’t mind. It's more important for him to get his thoughts across, to correct something he thinks is wrong or illogical, even if it's in a brutally honest way. But right now, it’s bothering him that she got upset by his words. She has never reacted this way before, so what did I say wrong?

“I think your girl meant something more than that, young man,” the husband tells him.

Kita turns to the couple who are both looking at him teasingly. “My girl?” he repeats.

“Aren’t you two together?”

He shakes his head. “No, she’s just our manager. I just help her out sometimes.”

“I see…”

The couple share a look, and then the wife turns to him. “You should follow her, though. We’re about to wrap up here anyway. Thank you both so much for your help.”

The husband also expresses his gratitude, and with that, Kita thanks them as well and starts to leave.

But as he passes by the wife on his way out, he overhears her mutter, “Ah, young love.”

And he pretends he just didn’t.

---

But maybe Kita really does have reason to worry.

Their manager sits with the sophomores on the other side of the dining table, not in her usual spot next to him. It's not like she's obligated to, though. She is a sophomore and she gets along well with them. If someone had noticed this, they just didn't bring it up, because her sitting with them is new, but should not be unusual.

But she hasn’t once made eye contact, and deliberately avoided touching him when she passed him a bowl. Now that's something alarmingly different.

The storm outside has thankfully subsided, but he feels another one brewing right here.

“You're going to burn a hole through her head,” Aran suddenly says beside him, just low enough for the two of them to hear.

Kita blinks and turns back to his food, realizing he’d been staring. “Sorry, that was rude of me.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Though, I don’t think she noticed.”

Kita only sighs.

Aran hesitates. “Is there something wrong?”

“I think so. I might have said something wrong, but I don’t know what.”

“Do you need my help?”

Just then, Kita notices Suna, who is sitting right across from him, discreetly looking at the two of them. “Maybe later.”

The team finishes eating, and their manager volunteers to help clean up. Unsurprisingly, Kita does the same.

And for the first time since their last conversation, she finally looks up at him.

An unfamiliar feeling blooms in his chest right then. And Kita does not understand. Why does it feel like he hadn’t met her gaze for a long time, when it was actually just a few minutes ago? This is strange, but not unwelcome. He can’t help but smile down at her.

She approaches him to take the plates he had stacked from his hands. “Kita-san,” she starts.

And that makes the warmth in his chest spread even wider. It’s not like she’d been quiet during dinner. She had talked and laughed along with everyone else, but not once was he involved.

“Don’t worry about this." She smiles. "This is my job, and you need to rest because you still have practice tomorrow.”

What?

“Please go rest with the others. I’ll be fine here with Oban.”

Kita feels himself sinking fast as he watches her walk away. It doesn’t even register that he’d been pulled out of the room by Aran until they almost bump into Suna in the hallway.

“Wow,” the second-year says as he pockets his phone. “Kita-san getting rejected. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“What are you still doing here, Suna?” Aran asks.

“Just lagging behind,” Suna nonchalantly replies, turning around to walk ahead of them.

Aran makes sure their junior is a safe distance away before he turns to his friend. "So, have you figured it out? That was a bit heavy back there."

Kita crosses his arms in thought, once again revisiting that conversation in the kitchen.

"What did you even say to her last?" Aran continues asking as they start down the corridor. "What made things suddenly different?"

And then it finally clicks. Kita stops walking, uncrossing his arms and looking away. "She asked me if she'd make a good wife."

"WHAT?"

---

The next day at practice, their manager goes by her day normally. Watching over them, assisting them. To an outsider, nothing seems off.

She probably thinks nothing of it now, Kita tries to assure himself when he takes a break from practicing serves.

Instantly, she stands up to give him his towel and water bottle. She compliments him, and he thanks her like usual. But the tension is still there, especially when she doesn't initiate more conversation. They may not talk a lot during practice, but she always has something to say.

That's how Kita knew he still needs to do what Aran told him to.

Yet even as practice ends and they both help prepare dinner again, he just can't seem to find the right words. It brings a small frown on his forehead, which the team isn't used to seeing.

Which makes dinner silent.

Until the twins, of course, start nudging each other's sides with their elbows, bringing up each other's mistakes at practice that they think might have upset their captain. As they keep going back and forth, their voices start to raise and their nudges turn into painful jabs.

"Stop that," Kita says.

And they do right away.

Somehow, even without the frown on his face now, Kita looks even more intimidating.

"Kita-san," their manager, sitting right across from him today, takes one for the team by asking, "why do you look so upset, though?"

His heart suddenly starts pounding. What would he even say? "I'm not. I just…"

Everyone looks at him then. Did their captain just stutter?

"...About what you said yesterday."

She looks puzzled. "Which one?"

The team looks as confused as her now, except for Aran who holds his breath.

"I've given it a lot of thought," Kita continues, "and I have to say that, with the effort and care you put in every day, you would be a good wife."

Silence settles over them for five seconds, before the whole table erupts into chaos.

Their manager quickly hides her face behind her hands.

Atsumu shouts, "What kind of confession is that?"

At that, Kita immediately realizes his mistake. "It's not –”

"Kita-san."

He looks back at their manager.

She seems to be forcing herself to calm down, because her cheeks are still flushed. She weakly points to the door. "Can we talk?"

The hollers and laughter grow louder as both of them stand up and exit, especially when she catches hold of his wrist to lead him away from the noisy room.

Finally, she stops and turns around to face him, looking upset. She lets go, leaving behind a warm spot on his wrist. "Why did you say that?"

His forehead creases again. "I'm sorry. I worded it wrong. Aran told me I should give you an answer, but I just… didn’t know how to say it without sounding like that."

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Of course," she says softly.

Kita falls silent. He doesn’t like how everyone is reacting, and he definitely had not intended to put her on the spot like this. It's true that he wants to answer her question, because it seems like his answer would make her happy. But why, then, does it feel like he’s lying when he says that’s just what it is?

She sighs loudly, snapping him out of his thoughts. And then she smiles again, as if it had all been a small joke. "Kita-san, please be careful with your words next time. I'll go clear it up with them now." And then she leaves.

And that would be the last time they would ever talk about it. But just because neither of them had brought it up anymore, doesn't mean it left his mind.

Yet months pass. Summer and Spring Nationals have become more important than that incident, especially because they have fallen back to their usual dynamic. So Kita focuses on playing.

And even as he graduates from the team, career talks and college applications start for the third-years. Meanwhile, the juniors, their manager included, become busy with transitioning for the new team.

Eventually, Kita’s batch and then hers both graduate high school.

Now, years have passed. They have all taken different paths. She had moved to Osaka to pursue a career, while Kita stayed in Hyogo to become a rice farmer.

Is it a coincidence? For his chosen work to constantly bring him back to the first time he started developing feelings for her, to remind him of all the time lost?

Because they had all grown older, Kita of course understood his feelings now. But it’s too late to even start anything anymore, especially when they haven't kept in touch for the last five years.

She has probably found someone emotionally smarter than me by now, he would often think.

For some reason, this pops up in his train of thought again today, making the already sweltering day even more upsetting.

"Kita-san!"

The heat must be making him delusional. He straightens up and wipes the sweat off his forehead. At least he’s finished with today’s work, so he can go home and --

"Kita-san! Heyyy!"

He sighs. Why is he hearing her voice? It's not like she knows this place anyway. And even if she does, why would she bother going all the way out here, right? Yet the small hope bubbling up in Kita's chest makes him turn around.

And there, at the end of the field, stands his former team manager, so silly to not have an umbrella nor a hat to protect herself from the sun. But she is still smiling, waving both of her arms more enthusiastically now that she has caught his attention.

Kita calls out her name as a question, still unsure of what he's seeing.

"Yes, it's me! Can I go there?"

And Kita feels like his breath is knocked out of him. What is she doing here? But he isn’t given enough time to process this when she sees her already taking a few steps forward. Kita clears his throat to shout back a reply. “Just wait there! I'll come over!" Taking a deep breath, he crosses the distance, quick yet careful not to slip on the damp ground.

But he should have known she can still be too excited to listen sometimes. She tries to meet him halfway, and that's how she slips.

Fortunately, she is already within Kita’s reach.

Catching her breath, she holds on to him to stand upright again. And then she laughs, a very welcome sound in the peaceful field. "As expected of you, Kita-san!"

Kita only stares at her, not letting her go just yet. His former manager that he'd only seen in pictures and heard about from his former teammates' stories is now right in front of him, in between his arms.

"Sorry for dropping by so suddenly --!" she is cut off with her own squeal as Kita envelops her in his embrace.

Because right now, Kita needs to feel that she's real. He has convinced himself that there's no chance anymore for them to meet again, that their time together will just remain a memory. But here he is now, holding on to her as if she would suddenly disappear.

Finally, she relaxes and hugs him back. Then, she says softly, "I missed you too." A few moments pass before she gently pulls back with a grin. "I’m sorry, but where can I wash my feet? They still got muddy."

Back at his house, where Kita hears the water running in the bathroom, he holds his head in hands as he finally comes back to his senses. What did he just do? After all those years of not contacting her, he doesn't even say hello and instead hugs her without her consent? Did he just disrespect her? And then embarrassment takes over when he notices his sweat-soaked shirt. Did he really hold her like that while looking and smelling awful?

"Kita-san, are you alright?"

He looks up, but immediately looks away and nods in reply.

"Why don't you take a bath for now?" she asks, depressing Kita even more. He must have really disgusted her. "We can catch up afterwards."

---

While he was showering, Kita had heard the clanging of pots and utensils, and the kitchen sink’s faucet turning on and off. Now that he’s back, he confirms his suspicion.

She is cooking rice.

His rice.

The rice he had worked so hard to grow is now being cooked carefully by her own hands to fill both of their tummies soon.

Kita can't help but smile.

She notices him watching her, so she smiles back at him before turning the stove on.

Kita steps closer. "You really make a good wife."

She gasps, instantly turning to him.

He only stares back, still smiling.

Her brow slightly furrows. "Kita-san, there's no one else to joke around with like this."

"I mean it. Even back then. I just didn’t understand… no, I just denied it. But now..." He gulps. "You do make a good wife. Maybe not mine, but anyone would be honored to have you. I just want you to know that."

"Kita-san," she says, stepping even closer to him, "do you not want me to be your wife?"

"I do!" he says right away, sounding frustrated.

She bites her lip, as if fighting a smile. "You do?"

"I do."

"Skipping the dating part?"

"I would date to marry you."

She hides her face in her hands. "Oh my god! You are serious." She looks up again to pout. "How can you say all these things but still be unsure?"

"Because we live very different lives now. I can't tie you down here when you've got your own dreams to pursue."

"But life would be fine for me out here. As long as it's with you, Kita-san."

Kita stops to hold her gaze.

It’s intense, warm, and most importantly, honest.

And he is glad that the first time he actually let himself cry for her, it's because he’s too happy. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she says, smiling again as she reaches up to wipe his tears away.

He kisses one of her palms and pulls her close. To embrace her once again. To kiss the top of her head, and then the tip of her nose, and finally, her lips.

Kita has always prided himself on being built by the things he does every day. But love is not just an individual effort, and because he didn't do much for it, he thought he'd lost all his chances.

But here she is, willingly coming back to his life, showing him she loves him too. Maybe even more than he does.

He doesn’t believe in luck, but maybe it has helped him this time. He is too careful to be reckless, but if she’s willing to take the risk with him, they would figure things out.

But all that matters right now is this. Melting in each other’s arms, catching up on lost time. A moment too perfect to break.

Or not.

As they redo the rice, Kita asks her, "Why didn't you just use the rice cooker?"

EDITED A/N: WILL WRITE A SECOND CHAPTER SOON! i just don't know when i'll post it, considering my hectic work sched...

#nekumiko writes

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