02 - endless nights
FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS YOU don't leave the cell. You lost your mind only about three times before the blonde, who you learned was Nanami came to give you a snack and water to calm you down. He didn't make much conversation with you even as you asked him about a million questions.
He must hate his job right now.
You did manage to find a loophole by refusing to use a bucket as a toilet, you were still a lady. You remember shaking your head at him, promising to not go until you had a proper bathroom. He left and an hour later you were walking up the stairs and to the main house. It was larger than your papàs, double the size you predicted and you could only imagine what type of sinister goes on in there.
Nanami finds a restroom quickly since he knows this palace like the back of his hand.
"Go." is all he says, leaning against the wall.
"Thanks." you walked in and just as you were about to close the door, Nanami stopped you.
"Keep it open. I won't watch."
He had so little trust in you. "You literally took everything from me, I just want some privacy, normalcy." you practically begged but you could tell that you were getting nowhere in his unbothered expression. You didn't want to push it and be sent to the bucket so you complied, making it as quick as possible.
Immediately back to the cell, you went and that was the routine every few hours when Nanami was nice enough to actually let you go.
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The sound of rain and thunder could be heard as you stared up at the ceiling. You close your eyes in remembrance of the rain pouring down your face. You loved going outside in the rain for many reasons. It was therapeutic, it was nature showering us with love, your mamma hated it, and there was always a rainbow that could be seen after from your balcony.
A disappointed sigh left your lips since you were dry. But then a thought crossed your mind. "Nanami." you got off of the mattress Toji tossed in the cell for you. Always thinking of you, that one.
"What?" he calls and when you stay silent, he groans, "I didn't even give you that much water."
You walk to the cell doors opening and smile sweetly at him, "Tell that to my bladder." you see the look of surprise that crosses Nanami's face and that's when you realize he actually thought you were serious. "Not really! Now let me out so I can relieve myself, please."
It was hard to hold a smile back when Nanami opened the door and held an umbrella over your head to keep you dry. You couldn't stop from quickening your pace to get out from under the umbrella and finally feel the fresh rainfall onto your face.
"y/n!" Nanami is quickly after you, making sure to keep himself dry as he stares at you like a mad woman. "What are you doing? You will get wet."
You laugh, "I'm being held like a prisoner, this is the least of my worries."
Nanami stands by your side again and you let the umbrella cover your now wet body. You enter the palace and instantly shiver at how much colder it is. You won't regret going into the rain, but only that Toji was the first person you see when turning the corner.
He pauses, to take in your slightly trembling body. You hadn't seen him for two days and now was not the right time. "Having fun are we?" he points to the outside where you just came from. "Did a little rain dance?"
"Well, I haven't showered in almost three days so I'll take the rain."
Toji gives you a glance over, stopping at your chest and letting his tongue run over his bottom lip. You look down to see that the coldness has made your nipples visible through the thin dress. With a small gasp, you cover yourself with your arms. Toji didn't seem to care that he had just gotten caught which made you want to roll your eyes, but you refrained. "Now who's staring at who like a piece of meat?" you ask, holding his eyes.
"Just making an observation, Koneko." he begins to pass you before quickly stopping him.
"Wait!" you follow him until he stills. Toji doesn't look back at you but turns his head to give you a look at his side profile. Your eyes land on the scar that made your pulse quicken and hope that Toji doesn't notice your lingering stare. "I know you hate me but.. can I please have some socks, you have to have a pair to spare in a house like this."
Toji now looks down at your bare feet that were visible from under the wet dress. Something that looked like empathy flashed in his eyes before returning back to the cold nothingness emotion was back on his face.
"Spare? Yes. For you? No. You're lucky to even have access to my maid's bathroom." he said instead, leaving you cold and barefoot next to his maid's bathroom.
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You were lying on the lonely mattress when the door opened, making your head look up in confusion. "Look what I found snooping around." Confusion quickly turns into panic when you see your twin sisters walking in with a pissed-off Toji behind them.
"Melina! Dioni! What are you doing here?" quickly run through the door to hug them but are stopped when Toji pulls back the fabric of your dress to stop you. "Let me go." you look up at him and attempt to get away from his grasp.
"Five minutes." is all he says, reminding you of what you would tell your mamma when needing extra time to just be alone.
Thankful for even that amount of time, you nod. "Five minutes," you repeat and watch as he walks out of the room, shutting and locking the door again.
Your sisters are the ones to run up to you first. Tears fill your eyes from having them in your arms again, knowing they are safe. "What are you two doing here? Don't you know how dangerous it is?" you begin to question and check to see if they had gotten hurt while in the care of Toji.
Melina was the first to speak, "After two days of no contact we knew we had to find you." her eyes were letting tears out more freely while Dioni was silently trying to keep it together. "Mamma and Papà were furious once news broke that you ran away. Now that they know you crossed the city line, they are mourning the loss of their daughter and want justice. They think Toji kidnapped you. Clearly, he was right!" she gestures to the state of your cell called a "room".
Your mouth slacks. "Kidnapped me? I mean." you pause to take a look at your situation and can see why she would think that. "He's only keeping me here because he thinks papà sent me for some secret plan or something!"
Dioni now jumps in. "Men and their grudges." she shakes her head, "We came to warn you that they postponed the wedding until they could figure out a way to get you back. You need to disappear or marry another man, quick. At least until you can access your trust."
Your body jumps when the door opens and instead of Toji being behind it, Nanami is instead. He gave you a look that let you know your time with your sisters was up and your heart broke all over again. "Where are they going?" you ask, not wanting them to end up in the same position as you.
Nanami didn't answer and instead led your sisters out of the room and locked the door behind him.
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You were taking your third nap of the day and sleepily opened your eyes when feeling the bed dip. Shivers rise on your body when you feel your hair being swept to the side to bare your neck.
"Sorry, Koneko. This will hurt a little." you could only hear Toji's voice when feeling the sting of a needle enter the side of your neck.
Your eyes widened for a second before feeling the drug work and then it was dark again.
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You woke up with a funny taste in your mouth, immediately remembering the dream of Toji and what he had done to you.
"Koneko, you're awake." his voice startles you.
It wasn't a dream.
Toji sits across from you at a table, watching you attempt to pull your hands free since they were tied down to the arms of the chair. You take a second to look down at your body, instead of seeing the hideous white dress, you were in a black one. It was softer and you could smell the refreshing scent of eucalyptus that was coming from you. Also, soft socks cover your feet.
"Did you drug and bathe me?" you ask, scared of his answer.
Before he can answer, an older woman dressed in a modest maid outfit comes out, and places two plates down which you assumed was your meal. She doesn't make eye contact with you which was expected since she was an employee of the Akuma. Toji tells her something in another language that you didn't understand but she bows her head and leaves without speaking.
The food in front of you made your stomach growl since you've been living off of Nanami's poorly-made pb&j's since being held, hostage.
"She bathed you. I just drugged you," he says, standing up and walking towards you slowly.
You keep your eyes forward, thankful that he had some decency. You weren't happy about the drugging part but that was the least of your worries. "Oh." was all you could say. "Well, you didn't need to drug me to make me comply."
His hands untied your wrists but you didn't move a muscle, making him grab your chin to force you to look at him. "I know but Nanami says you have a big mouth and I didn't want you harassing my maid with questions she doesn't know the answers to. Now eat," he demands.
The dinner was silent for the most part, you ate while Toji watched. He had a full plate in front of him but all he could focus on was you, watching the way your tongue comes out to lick the excess sauce from the meal.
You pushed the plate away and drank the rest of your water. "I'm done," you say, patting your mouth dry like you were taught in etiquette school that your mamma forced you to take.
Toji looks down at your plate and his frown is in disagreement with you. "You barely finished half of it, you're not finished." his tone leaves no room for argument but you argue anyway.
"I can't eat anymore," you say, hating that you still had no control over your body.
Toji didn't say anything for a few passing moments but the look in his eyes was enough to convey the anger he was feeling from you talking back. "Another bite, Koneko," he says firmly.
You don't fight him this time and take another bite of the delicious food. "There, now take me back to my cell."
"One more."
With a sigh of annoyance, you grab the fork and stab the food a little harsher than necessary but Toji doesn't flinch even if that plate was maybe a thousand dollars. "Happy?" you question.
"Not yet." he leans back in his chair, watching you suspiciously. Your hands were still free and you assume this is your time to prove that you have no ulterior motive. "I hear you're in a sticky situation Koneko, your sisters begged me to free you. Offered ten thousand dollars for your freedom. If I was a family man, I might've accepted."
Your heart drops at the mention of your sisters. "What did you do with them? If you so —"
Toji raises his hands and cuts you off with a laugh, "What will you do? Hurt me?" he questions, testing you. A grin makes its way to his sinful lips when you stay silent. "Anyways, I don't have use for teenagers. Nanami drove them back to the city line. I do have use for their older sister though."
Suddenly your mouth was as dry as the desert at what that could mean. You had met Toji when you were a teenager and he was some guy working for your father. Now, seeing him older and more powerful than ever was giving you whiplash. Even more so when you couldn't stop admiring the sharp features of his face. He was so handsome it almost hurt.
"Use?" you question, already feeling deja vu from what you were trying to run away from.
Toji takes note of the displeasure on your face, he then fixed his words. "We could both use each other. You're in need of a husband and lucky for you, I'm willing to be him. I won't get into specifics but I can promise a protected life until you can access your trust fund."
You open your mouth to ask how he would know about your trust fund but then Nanami's cryptic words entered your mind.
There are cameras everywhere.
Now it's your turn to laugh which seems to make Toji angry, but you couldn't help it. This was so comical you wanted to die from laughter. "Men don't listen." you stand up, placing your hands on the table. "I don't want to marry someone who's going to treat me like I'm just a pair of boobs and ass. I would rather clean all the rooms in this mansion."
There was a pit in your stomach watching Toji rise out of his seat, calm as ever which made you want to back down but it was too late for that. "I recall you saying that I was your only choice and whatever consequences come with that, you will accept. The wedding is in two hours." he gives you a cocky smile that you would slap off in a second if have not been his hostage.
You wanted to scream in frustration but all you could focus on was holding back the tears stinging your eyes. "Screw you," you say angrily.
"I think I'll wait for our honeymoon."
You fall back in your chair in defeat, you've lost. You never had a chance.
"Cheer up," Toji says from his seat, pouring himself some whiskey into a glass and swirling it. "We didn't see each other last night and it's raining outside, your favorite. Luck is on our side." he raises the glass as if this was a celebration.
You look at Toji, "It's raining?" you ask and he nods.
He watches your eyes dart to the window that was covered by curtains and the way you bite on your lower lip as if holding yourself back from speaking which he hated. "What is it Koneko?" he asks softly, getting your attention.
Your eyes dart between the window and Toji, trying not to seem embarrassed when asking, "If we do this wedding... can it be outside?"
You break eye contact when he lifts an eyebrow questioningly at you. He knew you had no chance of getting away and he was feeling generous so he shrugged. "Done."
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Toji's maid, Aya led you to a large room after dinner.
In that room were two women who immediately got started on doing your hair and makeup. They talked about your wedding with a smile, asking many questions that you made up answers for so it wouldn't be painfully obvious this wedding was not something you wanted.
When you were ready, Aya placed the black veil over your head and tilted your chin up to look at her. "Just beautiful," she says, making your throat close since you haven't heard that word used to describe you by even your own mamma.
"Thank you." you barely are able to say back. Looking in the mirror one more time, you see how different you look. The black wedding dress Toji picked out flattered all your curves and the heels you wore made you a couple of inches taller. Your eyes drift to your empty ring finger, wondering if he would give you one even if this was temporary.
Aya returns with a bouquet of flowers and you know what the next step is, saying "I do".
"Are you ready?" she asks.
No! you want to say but that would do nothing to help, so instead, you nod, "As I'll ever be."
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You met with Nanami next to the garden door and gave an exhale, feeling tension from head to toe now that it was time. "Are my sisters ok?" you ask first before committing to this plan. You needed to know your sisters were safe while you signed your life away for a year.
"They made it safe," Nanami confirms.
The garden was full of flowers you could see the gazebo at the opposite end. The gazebo was lit up with lights and soft music was being produced by an older man whose fingers plucked at the large heart gently. Nanami holds the umbrella over your head as you walk down the 'aisle' that is lined with black roses.
Your breath gets caught in your throat at the sight of Toji who already has his eyes on you. He was in a black suit and styled hair that you wanted to mess up.
When standing in front of Toji, he grabs a hold of your hands. Nanami drops the umbrella and stands behind you and Toji. He opens his mouth to speak but you cut him off. "I'm sorry, he's ordained?" you ask.
Your husband-to-be nods, "Nanami is a man with many skills."
Nanami doesn't say anything and continues with the script.
"Do you Toji, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife,.... to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Toji says easily.
It was now your turn.
"Do you y/n, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband,.... to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"
You hope Toji won't feel the sweat forming on your palms but when he gives you a reassuring squeeze, you want to die from embarrassment. "I do," you say when remembering what your line was.
"As you place this ring on y/n's finger, please repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you, my love, now and forever."
Toji reaches into his suit pocket and holds a small red velvet box. Inside were two rings, one with a large diamond and a black wedding band. Toji grabs the ring with a rock on it and slides it onto your ring ringer gently, "With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you, my love, now and forever."
"As you place this ring on Toji's finger, please repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you, my love, now and forever."
"With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever," you say while putting the wedding band on him.
"By the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
Slowly, Toji lifts the black veil to reveal you. The heart was still playing and the rain was still pouring but all you could focus on was whether Toji was going to kiss you or not. Your eyes fight to stay closed when his hands curve under your jaw, aligning you just right for his lips to meet yours in a soft kiss. The kiss was short but left a trail of fire that you forced yourself to ignore.
He pulls away, eyes lingering on your lips for a second before meeting your eyes with a heated look. "Come on wife, we're not done yet."
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