AN : You might want to grab a box of tissues.
6 years later
"Keisuke ! Izana !" I shout at the two boys and their heads veer in my direction. "How many times do I have to tell you not to jump on the couch? You're going to hurt yourself," I warn, pointing a finger at them.
"Yes, mom," The two boys reply, getting off the couch obediently.
"They're giving you a hard time, hmm?" Kakucho asks me.
I turn my head back to him and Sanzu who are sitting at the dining table with me and I chuckle, "Yeah, I can't imagine what it'll be like when they're teenagers."
"Hey, uncle Kakucho ! Uncle Sanzu !" The identical twins shout as they run to the table.
Keisuke jumps onto Sanzu's lap while Izana climbs onto Kakucho's. They point at their faces where one of them has just drawn the same scars that Sanzu has at the corners of his mouth and the other has drawn the same scar that runs across Kakucho's face.
"We look just like you !" The twins shout, proud of themselves.
I trap my bottom lip between my teeth and study Kakucho and Sanzu's reactions, worried they'll get offended, but they smile down at the boys, their gazes softening.
When I hear someone knock, I stand up and go open the door. I barely even have time to greet the two newcomers before Izana and Keisuke sprint toward them.
"Koko ! Inui !"
Keisuke and Izana jump on their two godfathers.
"Hey, careful there, buddies." Kokonoi gently pushes the two boys away from him with one hand and I fight a laugh at how awkward he looks interacting with kids. "This is a 5000 dollars Gucci jacket you're touching." He informs the twins who exchange a curious look.
They have just turned 6. They have no clue what 5000 dollars represent, or what 'Gucci' is.
"Happy birthday," Inui wishes the twins while patting the top of their heads.
"Thanks!" Keisuke and Izana flash a toothy smile at their godfathers before they start running again, chasing after each other through the room.
"Thanks for coming," I tell Kokonoi and Inui while they take off their jackets.
"Of course," Inui gives me a smile.
Kokonoi hands me one bottle of champagne and two envelopes.
"That's their gifts," He tells me, jerking his chin to the envelopes. "And don't worry, I listened to you and I paced myself this year," He promises and I narrow my eyes in suspicion.
I turn to Inui.
"Did he really?" I ask the blond man for confirmation.
"Well," – Inui rubs the back of his neck – "he didn't try to buy them a house this year so, I guess yeah, by his own definition he did pace himself."
I look back at Kokonoi who is avoiding my gaze, pretending to look at something on the ceiling.
Each year it's the same: he buys the most luxurious gifts for Keisuke and Izana and each year, I have to tell him that – no Kokonoi, young children do not need diamond-encrusted watches or designer clothes.
I just don't want my kids to grow up spoiled.
I lead Kokonoi and Inui to the table where they take their seats next to Sanzu and Kakucho. I offer them something to drink before sitting back down at the table with them. We all start talking about anything and everything and several minutes later, I hear the door open quietly and I turn my head to it.
Mikey's focus is on me as he closes the door behind him. He's wearing a three-pieces suit that I've recently bought for him.
Time seems to stop as we stare at each other from a distance, and for several beats, everything else around us seems to disappear.
The men, the children, the screams, the laughter, the conversations.
It's just him and me and our lips curve up at the same time, mirroring each other.
Sometimes, it feels like there are no two souls more in rhythm than Mikey and I.
"Dad !" The twins shout when they notice their father.
Mikey and I finally tear our gazes away from each other. He drops to his haunches and catches the twins in his arms.
"Have you been good to your mother?" He asks them.
The two boys quickly nod yes.
"Sure?" Mikey asks again.
"Yes, daddy!" They both answer.
"Alright, then." He smiles and ruffles the kids' hair.
Seeing them like this makes every inch of me warm. The twins are mini-versions of their father when he was younger: blond with big dark eyes and pointy noses.
Keisuke and Izana start running through the apartment again. Mikey watches them for a moment, then his gaze coasts back to me, finding me already watching him.
I rise from my seat and we start walking toward each other, closing the distance between us with a few slow steps.
When we're a meter away, we both pause.
"Hey," I greet him softly.
He exhales, the corner of his lips tipping up. "Hey."
He closes the remaining distance between us with one last step. He pulls me into a hug, setting his chin against the top of my head.
"Sorry, I'm late." He whispers.
"It's alright," I reply, nuzzling him and breathing him in.
Our eyes fall shut as we hug each other for a moment longer. When we finally pull apart, he places a hand on the small of my back and leads me into the kitchen.
"Have you told Rindou yet?" He asks me once we're out of the others' sight and out of earshot.
I shake my head no and start fiddling with my hands nervously.
"What are you so scared of?" Mikey asks, his eyes searching mine.
I sigh, dropping my gaze to the floor. "What if he's not happy? What if he doesn't want it and—"
"Hey." Mikey clasps my chin and tips my face up to his so I have no other choice but to look him in the eyes. "If he doesn't want it then I'll gladly raise it as my own."
I know he means it.
There's not many things Mikey and I wouldn't be willing to do for each other.
"Where is my wife?"
We hear Rindou ask the others in the living room.
Mikey and I pull away from each other.
"Good luck," He wishes me.
A second later, Rindou is walking into the kitchen.
The two men turn to each other.
My two men.
Mikey is the father of my children. He's the one I meet up with to have coffee and talk about our kids. He's the one I sit down with to go over the grocery shopping list. The one I spend most of my days with. He's the one my heart has been loving quietly but constantly since we were teenagers. Every second of the morning and afternoon.
But Rindou is the one I sleep with at night. The one I wake up to. The one who takes me to five-stars restaurants and showers me with affection. The one who makes love to me like no one else ever has. He's the one I've been loving loudly and in front of everyone for 6 years now.
Mikey pats Rindou on the shoulder before walking past him to leave us alone in the kitchen.
Rindou takes the short steps to me and wraps both arms around me.
"God, I missed you," He breathes against the side of my neck.
"You were only gone for a few hours," I reply, giggling.
"What can I say?" He sighs and his breath tickles my skin. "I hate being away from my wife."
He brushes his lips against my neck, planting little kisses and nips. I squirm and push against him in response and finally, he kisses my lips.
"Rin," I breathe out.
He pulls away and meets my gaze. "Yeah?"
"I have something to tell you."
He nods, the smile slowly falling from his face as he notices my expression has turned more serious. "Okay."
I inhale deeply, steeling myself for his reaction.
"I'm pregnant."
He blinks. Opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it. Closes it again. Blinks fast. And I wait and wait for him to say something. Anything. I wait for a reaction. But when I don't get one, I open my mouth and start rambling. "I took a test this morning and it's positive and I know we haven't really talked about it and I don't know how you feel about having kids right now so I understand if – you know, if you're not ready, I don't know what you want to do, but I mean, I don't understand, we've been careful and—"
"You're pregnant?" He interrupts me softly and I clamp my lips shut. "You're really pregnant?" He repeats.
I nod slowly and hold my breath as I wait.
"I'm gonna be a dad," He says, his voice barely above a whisper, then he repeats a little louder, " I'm really gonna be a dad."
"Yes," I reply hesitantly, still trying to read him.
His eyes lit up and the biggest smile I've ever seen makes its way onto his face. He lifts me up in his arms and spins me around in the air. When he plants my feet back on the floor, I stumble back into his arms and giggle against his mouth while he claims my lips for another kiss.
"I fucking adore you," He grunts into the kiss.
We pull away and he cups my face with his hands, rubbing his thumbs along my jawline. His eyes are watery.
"What are you doing?"
Rindou and I turn our heads to look at Ran who has just paused in the doorway. His gaze bounces between his brother and I.
"Wait, hold on, are you—" He raises a hand and points a finger at my face, then my belly, then back to my face again, "Oh my god, you are, aren't you!" He's too enthusiastic to form complete sentences.
He walks up to us and almost pushes Rindou off of me so he can kneel down in front of me.
"What are you doing?" I ask, bracing my hands against the kitchen counter behind me as I back away.
Ran places both hands against my belly and presses his nose against it as he asks, "Hey, can you hear me in there? It's your uncle, Ran Haitani."
He almost looks disappointed when he gets no answer as if he actually expected the few weeks old fetus to say something back and Rindou and I exchange a look before bursting out laughing.
"Ahem." Someone clears their throat and the three of us turn our heads to the door.
Sanzu is leaning into the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and his feet crossed at his ankles.
"I don't mean to interrupt this" – He casts a glance at Ran who is still touching my belly and I swear I can see the corner of his lips twitch in disgust at this open demonstration of love – "this touching moment but," – His gaze travels back up until it meets mine – "Are we still having that meeting later, boss?"
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention but Mikey made me Bonten's second boss.
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Takemichi's pov (future)
5 months have passed since I travelled back to the future. 5 months since I went to Pah's wedding and 5 months since I saw Y/N, Mikey, Rindou, Ran and Sanzu in that restaurant and found out that Y/N was 4 months pregnant.
Hina told me afterwards that Y/N was married to Rindou Haitani.
Speaking of marriage, Hina and I got married as planned. I cried like a baby when I watched her walk down the aisle, wearing the dress Mitsuya had made for her. She was so breathtakingly beautiful I couldn't believe how lucky I was to marry her. Even now, several months after our wedding, I sometimes feel overwhelmed to know that she's mine. That she's safe.
All of our friends came to the reception. Y/N dropped by too but she didn't stay very long. Her pregnancy was a big drain on her energy.
Hina and her still see each other every week. She even asked Hina to be the godmother of Keisuke and Izana, the Sano twins.
I found out that the reason why the atmosphere had gotten so weird when I asked about Y/N at Pah's wedding was partly because she's one of the leaders of Bonten, a criminal organization, and partly because she broke Mitsuya's heart when she broke up with him.
It was more than six years ago but he still hadn't gotten over her.
Recently, I've tried to learn more about Bonten by talking about it with Naoto. Apparently, in the last few years, that gang has gone from a ruthless organization that was involved in prostitution and even trafficking to an organization that is involved in gambling and fraud. But Naoto has discovered through his detective work that most of the money the organization makes is now given to charities.
That, the media doesn't tell the public.
I finally felt like my mission was accomplished. I didn't need to travel to the past anymore. Draken, Mitsuya, Chifuyu, Pah, Peh, Smiley, Angry, Hakkai, Hina... they were all safe and happy. Mikey was happy too from what I'd heard. Raising Keisuke and Izana with Y/N and running Bonten with Y/N made him happy.
Which is why, I really didn't see it coming. That day everything changed.
5 months after I came back from the past, Hina and I were watching TV when her phone rang. I was still looking at the screen, trying to focus on the movie when she picked up, "Hello?"
I could hear someone talk – more like shout – on the other end of the line and I averted my gaze away from the TV to look at Hina as she jumped to her feet.
"Slow down, I can't understand what you're saying," She replied quickly.
My gaze followed her as she walked out of the living room and disappeared down the hallway that led to our bedroom. When she came back a minute later, she had hung up and had put on a coat and a pair of shoes. She was now practically running around the house to find her bag and her car keys.
"We have to go. Now," She told me urgently.
I immediately rose to my feet and followed her out of our house.
"What's going on?" I asked her while we jogged to our car.
"It's Y/N," She panted. "She's giving birth."
-------------------------
When we arrived at the hospital, we asked the lady at reception for directions. She pointed to the hallway to our right and Hina and I jogged to the maternity ward.
In the waiting room, a few people were already sitting. I recognized Kokonoi, Inui, Sanzu and Kakucho. Hina and I saluted them with a nod of our heads before sitting down next to each other.
I caught a first glimpse of the inside of the delivery room when a nurse walked out. Y/N was laying down with her legs spread and slightly elevated. She was screaming in pain again and again.
Mikey was standing at the side of her bed. He was holding her hand to his lips and brushing her hair away from her sweaty face while she cried out in pain.
"You can do this," He kept telling her.
She was looking up at him like he was the only thing she wanted to focus on to forget about the pain she was in. Her only anchor.
The door fell back shut, blocking my view.
"Where's Rindou?" Hina wondered out loud as she looked around.
"He should be here any minute now," Kakucho answered her.
Indeed, not long after, we heard him shout at the lady at reception.
"Y/N Haitani! Where is she!"
Everyone in the waiting room watched the two Haitani brothers quickly stride down the hallway.
Without a word, Hina pointed a finger to the door of the delivery room Y/N was in and Rindou acknowledged her with a nod of his head.
We got a second glimpse of the inside of the delivery room when Rindou flung the door open.
I saw Y/N's head turn toward her husband as he strode to the side of her bed. She was sobbing while reaching her free hand toward her husband's. But for some reason, my gaze was drawn back to Mikey. Not once did he take his gaze off Y/N as her pleading eyes searched Rindou's.
He never stopped looking at her.
The door fell back shut again.
Ran stayed in the hallway. He started pacing back and forth in front of the door. He was breathing hard, nervously pumping his fist against his lips. Every time another one of Y/N's screams seeped under the closed door, he squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a sharp breath.
A few minutes that felt like an eternity passed. When Y/N's insistent screaming stopped, we all perked up. Ran jerked to a halt, holding his breath as everyone's heads turned to the door.
Another few seconds of complete silence passed, then we heard a baby cry.
Everyone smiled, heaving out breaths of relief.
Hina took my hand and sighed, "It's done."
But she was wrong. So, so wrong.
It was far from done. Actually, it was only getting started.
A second later, another scream pierced the air. A sceam that broke free from the deepest part of someone's chest, echoing around the entire hospital.
It was a man, screaming in agony as if somebody had just stabbed him.
Alerted, Ran burst into the delivery room. And for the last time that night, the people in the waiting room caught a glimpse of the inside of the delivery room.
Y/N's head had lolled to the side against the pillow. Her skin was sweaty and translucent.
Her eyes were closed.
She wasn't moving.
Or breathing.
Rindou had dropped to his knees besides her bed. His back was to us but we could see his entire body shake with loud, broken sobs.
But Mikey... He's the one who really shattered my heart.
He was still talking to Y/N and holding her hand to his lips, pressing kisses to her knuckles, as if he was hoping that his voice or touch would somehow bring her back. That she would open her eyes one last time to look at him. Part her lips to tell him that she loved him. Just one last time.
He couldn't accept he had just lost another person.
His person.
-----------------------------------------------------
A week later, Hina and I were walking into the church to attend Y/N's funerals.
Hina felt so weak she had to link her arm through mine to keep walking. We took our seats next to Draken, Mitsuya, Chifuyu, Kazutora.
Mitsuya had dropped his head forward. One sob escaped his lips and he covered his face with shaking hands.
Next to him, Draken was wiping his red and swollen eyes every few seconds.
Chifuyu's green eyes were filled to the brim with tears as he stared ahead of him. He started chewing on his lower lip, trying to keep the tears from escaping.
My eyes swept over the rest of the crowd of people present.
Sanzu, Kakucho, Kokonoi and Inui were sitting in the front row.
Keisuke, one of Y/N's kids was sitting on Kokonoi's lap while Izana, his twin, was sitting on Kakucho's. They were staring at the framed picture of their mother which was placed right above her closed casket. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were staring back at them, paired with her bright smile.
Ran and Rindou were sitting in the front row too. The former was the one holding the baby Y/N had given birth to a week ago.
It was a little girl. She was babbling and giggling.
One tear spilled from Ran's eyes as he looked down at her. His chin trembled as he offered her a small, sad smile while she waved her chubby little arms in the air.
She wasn't aware that she would have to grow up without her mother, not conscious that her own father who was sitting next to her couldn't even bring himself to hold her or look her way without getting a glimpse of what – who – he had just lost.
A sob escaped Hina's lips and I looked over at her.
"I can't –" Hina's voice caught – "I can't do this."
She excused herself before standing up and striding back to the wooden doors.
I looked over my shoulder to watch her and that's when I saw him. The shell of a man I had seen seven days ago.
Mikey.
He was wearing a black suit. As black as his eyes and the dark circles under them.
He was leaning his back against the wall, a few meters away from the door, hidden in the darkness of one of the corners of the church. His unwavering gaze was glued to Y/N's picture.
When the ceremony started, he walked out.
Something pushed me to follow him.
He crossed the street and walked into the lobby of a building on the other side of the road. He stepped on the elevator. When the doors slid shut, I waited and looked up to see the number of the floor he would stop at.
The 30th.
The last one.
I ran to the staircase and sprinted up the steps until I reached the very last floor. I flung the door open and stormed outside, a strong gust of wind brushing past me.
Mikey was standing on the edge of the rooftop, gazing at the city ahead of him.
"Mikey," I called his name softly to avoid startling him. "Don't jump," I implored, taking a few steps toward him.
He didn't answer. He just kept staring ahead of him, blinking slowly.
"Please, step back," I pleaded. "You have things to live for. Your two little boys, they need their father."
He gave his head a small shake and whispered so low I almost didn't catch it, "You don't understand, Takemitchy."
He tipped his head to the sky and his eyes fluttered shut.
"There's nothing, no one, I love more than I love her. Not even our kids," He confessed in a few aching murmurs. "I can't raise them without her."
"Yes, you can, Mikey." I disagreed, taking another step toward him.
"You don't understand," He shook his head again before looking over his shoulder at me.
The look on his face almost made my knees give way.
Silent tears were spilling from his dark eyes and rolling down his pale cheeks.
"I have no life if she's not in it," He whispered, his bottom lip quivering, "No future to look forward to if she's not here to share it with me." His voice broke at the end.
He blinked and another tear escaped his dark eyes.
"It hurts too fucking much," He rasped.
The next second, he was taking a step forward and letting himself fall into the void.
"Mikey !"
I jumped forward and caught his wrist at the last moment.
I was laying on my stomach against the concrete rooftop, using all of my strength to hold onto him and keep him from falling down the 30-stories building.
It should have been impossible for me to support all of Mikey's weight just by holding onto his wrist, but it felt like someone had just placed their hands over mine and was lending me their strength so I could hold onto Mikey and keep him from falling.
I could have sworn I even heard a woman's voice whisper in my ear, "I'll give you a hand, Takemichi."
"She wouldn't want you to give up that easily !" I screamed to Mikey, gazing down at him as tears started to fill my own eyes. "You think she would be proud of you to see you do this? To see you let your kids behind! She dedicated her life to you ! And you - What do you do? You just throw it all away because she's not here anymore? Did she do all of that for nothing !"
More tears sprung to his eyes. His body wracked with a sudden onslaught of sobs.
"Grab my hand, Mikey !" I urged him. "Please, do it for her !"
He sobbed as he finally grabbed my hand.
The next time I blinked and opened my eyes again, I was laying in my bed in what looked like my old bedroom.
I had just traveled back to the past.
Again.