꒰ .ೃ࿐ ꒱ the fireworks + dented ego
hanagaki takemichi, age 26
l/n y/n, age 16
As Takemichi stepped onto the rooftop, his eyes widened. Fireworks of every different color were being shot up into the sky. They exploded, sending bursts of color through the dark, starry sky.
"Wow." Hina's eyes glimmered as she got closer, holding onto the railing, "So pretty!" She turned around, "Hurry up Takemichi!"
"O...Okay." Was all the blonde could respond with. He stared at Hina, happiness welling up in his chest.
"Hey! There's a heart!" His girlfriend pointed at the said firework. He smiled slightly. Looking around, Takemichi's eyes widened when he saw Y/N. She was sitting on the metal railing while a tall guy around her age stood between her legs, holding onto her waist.
In contrast to the usual Y/N he saw, this one was much different. She was smiling as she exchanged words with the young male, occasionally prodding at his arm. He, too, was grinning.
Takemichi instantly stiffened when Y/N's gaze shifted to him.
'Shit! I've been caught!' He screamed inside his head, 'L/N's gonna kill me!'
Much to his surprise though, her attention was stolen by the black and blonde-haired boy. He muttered a few words in her ear which caused her to raise an eyebrow and smack his forehead.
"Oh, that must be Hanma Shuji." Takemichi muttered underneath his breath as he continued to observe the two.
'Wait... does that mean Y/N has already made the deal? Arg! I don't know. Damn my lame detective skills!'
Hanma leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to Y/N's lips. She giggled, grabbing his collar and pulling him in again. Takemichi, with burning cheeks, looked away.
'I'll just hold Hina's hand, no biggie'
The crybaby hero outstretched his arm, grabbing what he assumed to be Hina's hand. His heart fluttered.
'So warm' He thought to himself.
He turned his head, realizing it wasn't Hina at all.
"H... Hello." Naoto flashed him a small smile.
"Heh? Naoto?" Takemichi muttered. A few seconds passed before he finally registered what was happening. "N... NAOTO?!" Hina turned her head.
"Hm? Naoto is here?"
Her little brother sweatdropped.
"Yeah."
"NO WAY!" Takemichi was still screaming his head off as his heart skipped a beat and he found himself in a bed.
"Takemichi-kun!" It was Naoto... again. Takemichi cried as the black-haired boy smiled. "So you've regained consciousness?!" By the looks of it, he was excited.
"So I have returned?" Takemichi looked around in disappointment.
"Hah? Why do you sound like that?" Naoto's eye twitched, "Nevermind though. That means you were able to go to the past! So a handshake was the trigger after all! My hypothesis wasn't wrong!"
Takemichi covered his face with his hands, wiping away his tears.
"Yes yes, you were right." He mumbled.
"AND YOU'VE MADE IT BACK. I understand... here, "everything" is ready. Coming back means that you've made some progress, right?!" Naoto exclaimed.
Takemichi's eyes darted around as he looked at everything but the ravenette.
"YOU SHOOK MY HAND ON ACCIDENT, DIDN'T YOU!" To say that Naoto was enraged was an understatement.
"Oh man," Takemichi rubbed the back of his head, "Hina sure is cute though. And the fireworks were so pretty." He leaned back, a lovesick expression plastered on his face.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, TAKEMICHI-KUN?!" Naoto shouted, "DID YOU AT LEAST MEET L/N Y/N?!" Takemichi nodded.
"She was... something. Aggressive but, in a way, also... pretty."
Naoto let out a dreamy sigh, something that was especially out of character for him.
"She is, isn't she." He uttered, smiling. Takemichi blinked, dumbfounded.
'... Naoto has a crush on her, doesn't he'
"BUT THAT'S BEYOND THE POINT!" Ah, and he's back.
━━━━━━
Y/N clenched her jaw as she ran through the streets, holding down her skirt. She had just finished yet another date with Hanma and was now on her way to a Toman meeting.
"I regret wearing this." She growled as she swiftly turned a corner, almost making a guy drop the ramen he was holding. She didn't stop to apologize and, instead, continued to sprint down the sidewalk.
The guy blinked before quickly pulling out his phone. He dialed a number and pressed the device to his ear while watching Y/N's figure disappear.
"Boss, I found our target."
"Good. She's alone, I presume?"
"Yes."
"Even better. Call in your men. Take your shot now and don't miss."
"Yes, boss."
The man ended the call and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Sticking two fingers into his mouth, he whistled loudly, a sign for his underlings to attack.
Y/N, who heard the sound, paused. The streets were empty and barren, not another person in sight. Her eyes narrowed. She was almost at the Musashi shrine, she could make it.
She bolted, not caring about her skirt anymore. Behind her, she could hear heavy footsteps. Y/N gritted her teeth as a hand grabbed her shirt, yanking her back. She slammed one of her platform shoes down on their foot, making them howl in pain and release her.
Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she quickly ran. In the distance, she could see the shrine. Her lungs burned and her throat felt dry as she struggled to keep running. She was losing stamina and it was obvious to her attackers.
"Surround her!" One yelled, "Don't let her get away!" She was unexpectedly tripped up and she stumbled, scraping her knees on the sharp rocks lining the concrete. She hissed in pain as she struggled to stand up.
"Well, I always did like a challenge." She smirked, wiping away the blood that was trailing down from her nose, "One against six. That sounds interesting." A punch was aimed at her head but she easily dodged it. She spun around, kicking one of the guys in the head.
He collapsed, eyes rolling back. Clicking her knuckles, Y/N just snickered.
"Who's next?" She asked, "I have a meeting to get to so ya better hurry this up." She looked down at her nails, bored and uninterested.
"Jeez, he wasn't wrong when he said you were a bitch." Somebody muttered. Y/N arched an eyebrow.
"Wanna say that again, loser? Huh? Go ahead, I'm all ears now." When he didn't speak up, Y/N scowled, "Yeah, that's right. If you ain't gonna say it a second time, don't say it ever." She was annoyed, it wasn't hard to tell.
"Oi, why are you jumping a pretty lady? You guys are so weak it's pathetic." A hand was placed on top of Y/N's head and, from the corner of her eyes, she saw a flash of black and blonde.
"Shit! It's the Haitani brothers!"
"Oh, fuck no! I'm outta here! See ya! Peace out!"
"Wait for me, bro!"
Y/N watched as the guys scrambled off, two of them carrying their friend whom she had knocked out prior.
"Hm, no thanks from the pretty lady? How disappointing. I only saved you because I was hoping to get a date with ya."
Y/N turned her head, coming face to face with the oh-so-famous Haitaini Ran. Standing behind him was his brother, Rindou.
"Hey, you smell good. Is that Dior? Blooming Bouquet?" Ran tilted Y/N's head to the side, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Y/N had no reaction other than mentally planning his murder.
"Oi, you look like a creep." Rindou pulled his brother back. Ran just lazily smiled as he lightly trailed a finger over Y/N's shoulder.
"She's so pretty though. You wouldn't mind if I called you mine, right?" Ran leaned in, so sure of himself that she would accept.
"... First of all, my name is L/N Y/N. Second of all, you look like the knockoff, Walmart version of Anna from Frozen with those braids of yours and that poorly dyed hair. Do you need a professional to do it? I know lots. Here, have this." Y/N handed him a card, "They do my sibling's hair and the workers are really nice. Just tell 'em what you want. And, third of all... who did your brother's hair? Because I need to know. It's good, better than yours."
Ran was silent while Rindou struggled to hold back his laugher. No girl had ever stood up to him like that.
"Well," He muttered, "That puts a dent in my ego."