standing outside of the prison, phone in hand, your nerves were shooting through the roof.
Itsuki was supposed to get out any minute now, and waiting for that was driving you insane.
everything was ready; the spare room was clean, you had the Toman jackets in your bag for the meeting tonight, and all the members knew he was coming.
but your mind was relentless with the worrying.
it stopped for a moment though, as your phone buzzed and you looked down to check it.
Ryohei
i think we should get a dog as Toman's mascot
laughing to yourself at the randomness of his text, you typed out an answer in a matter of seconds.
Vera
and what makes u think that?
Ryohei
think abt it, we get this scary dog and we'll be unstoppable
scary dog privileges Vera
Vera
u know what, that's a very good idea
let's go adopt a dog
Ryohei
REALLY??
Vera
i mean, maybe?
Ryohei
boooo, got my hopes up
smiling softly at the screen, the creaking of a gate opening caused your head to snap up, pocketing the phone and trying to find a familiar face.
a random guy with long blonde hair walked out, going up to a big family that waited for him.
'definitely not him,' you thought silently, shifting uncomfortably in place.
sighing, you pulled out a cigarette and lit it in hopes to calm the flurry of emotions you were feeling.
with eyes flickering between every small noise that could be heard, you waited impatiently for Itsuki to finally show up.
taking a drag of the cigarette, you silently willed him to come out soon.
as if the universe read your mind, Itsuki's tall figure came out from behind the metal gate, two guards handing him a small bag of his belongings.
he looked around, trying to spot you. dropping the cigarette and stomping it out, you waved to grab his attention, a wide grin spreading across both of your faces as you made eye contact.
breaking into a run, you crossed the concrete yard in a matter of seconds, watching as Itsuki dropped his stuff and held his arms out.
you collided heavily with the taller boy, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck as he picked you up slightly off of the ground.
both of you laughed airily, relishing in the close contact.
"i missed you," you mumbled out, voice muffled by the fabric of his t-shirt.
"i missed you too, kid." he replied, letting go and placing your feet back on the ground.
ruffling your hair, Itsuki smiled down at you as you beamed up at him.
"so, what's on the agenda today?" he asked, falling into step with you as you two exited the prison grounds, his bag in hand.
remembering an important piece of information, you dug around in the bag you brought and pulled out the two Toman jackets, throwing one at him.
"well, we've got a Toman meeting this evening." Itsuki froze in place, staring at you with wide eyes.
he was motionless; just like the snake tattoo adorning the right side of his face.
"..what?" he asked slowly, looking down at the black jacket, then to the one you carried.
grinning mischievously, you grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "a lots happened since you've been gone, Itsuki."
chuckling and shaking his head, he just let you pull him along.
you were going to get his motorcycle from the impound lot first; then let him get settled in the spare room you cleaned up.
looking up at him from beside, Itsuki felt your gaze and turned to you.
"what's up?" he asked, eyes half-lidded.
"you're so old now," after your blunt remark, he paled, trying to convince you he wasn't that old.
"hey, 19 isn't old! i'm still technically a teenager," you giggled, turning your head back to the front and staring ahead, feeling the cool wind blow through your hair.
Itsuki sighed from where he was walking, looking down at his new Toman jacket. "so, when did you join Toman?"
"only like a week or two ago, but i was friends with a few of them before." he hummed in understanding, his mind focused elsewhere.
how had Toman grown since he'd gone to prison?
was Mikey still leading? were all of the original members still there?
shaking his head to clear it, you and him stopped in front of the impound car lot, taking the steps to enter.
while Itsuki went in to pay for his motorcycle back, you wandered around the area, admiring the different bikes.
there were a few that you had seen in stores, albeit banged up but still just as cool.
as you were looking around, Itsuki came back out with a pair of keys in hand, a sullen look on his face.
"it cost me a fortune to get my bike back," he whined, while you smiled with sympathy. "at least you got it back," you reasoned, and he just scoffed.
after a few minutes of walking, Itsuki found his bike, marvelling at the old thing. he pulled it out of the car lot, you following suit.
"looks like how you left it," you commented, and he nodded happily in agreement. after checking that there was gas (even though there was hardly any), Itsuki hopped on and motioned for you to do the same.
the engine roared to life, idling from below you.
he started driving, going straight towards your house so he could get settled in before the Toman meeting.
————
after everything at your house was dealt with, you and Itsuki made the journey towards Musashi shrine, both wearing the brand new jackets.
"so," Itsuki coughed, and you could tell he was nervous. "what's Toman like now?"
staying quiet, you thought about the main points of the gang since you had joined.
"well, Mikey says he wants to create a new age for hoodlums; im sure that hasn't changed."
the short-haired boy sighed in relief, knowing that Mikey was still the leader.
you then told him about the rest of the division captains, and your other friends which were members, and he smiled, hanging off of every word.
"i'm glad everyone's still there," 'except Kazutora,' Itsuki added silently, reliving the tragic night when his friend went to juvie, ultimately leaving Toman as well.
seeing that he was visibly uncomfortable, you rested a hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly.
the two of you could always read each other well; so Itsuki wasn't surprised by the small touch.
arriving at Musashi shrine, many other people were already there, confiding at the bottom of the stairs.
Baji noticed you first, smiling softly as you returned the favour. then, turning his head he flicked his eyes upwards to the boy standing next to you.
his soft gaze switched to one of surprise, swiftly closing the gap between him and Itsuki. you took a step back, grinning and watching as the boys embraced.
as they hugged, Draken, Mikey, Mitsuya, and Ryohei all laid eyes on Itsuki as well, charging at him.
to your amusement, the group of boys almost tackled Itsuki and Baji to the ground in a tight hug, all laughing and smiling.
other members looked on in confusion, though not daring to say anything to ruin the moment.
"hey guys," Itsuki said. they just hugged him tighter, all expressing how much they missed him.
standing off to the side, you walked up to them and spoke up, trying to get their attention.
"alright boys, time to start the meeting," Mikey groaned, Draken pulling him off and the others slowly standing in their respective spaces.
"where's Pah-chin?" Itsuki asked, causing the group to go quiet. "he got arrested," Ryohei explained, a solemn look on his face.
the boys talked about it for a little longer, before the subject was changed as Itsuki brought up a funny memory they had with Pah, and the group was back to laughing.
as the whole gang began walking up the steps, the five boys walked closely together as Baji stayed back and talked to you who was a few feet behind.
"it's good to have him back," you hummed in agreement, a soft smile never leaving your features.
shoving his hands in his pockets, Baji turned his head to where you walked beside.
"come hangout with me after the meeting," a pang of guilt ran through you, not wanting to say no. "i can't, Itsuki's staying with me for a bit so i kinda have to go home with him."
Baji stayed quiet for a moment, before springing a new idea onto you.
"how about you both stay? you know, it can be the whole group or something."
he wouldn't admit it, but this was definitely the worse option. sure, he loved his friends, but he wanted an excuse to be with you one on one.
as you eagerly agreed to his idea, Baji's heart fluttered at the lazy grin gracing your features.
"come on, don't wanna miss the meeting," you teased, running towards the top of the stairs and stopping at the front with Baji, greeting a few people before the meeting started.
Itsuki stood in front of everyone at the bottom of the three steps Mikey stood on, his gaze shifting nervously across the crowd.
his eyes finally rested on your figure, watching as you shot him a reassuring smile. the tattooed boy smiled back gently, taking a deep breath and both of you listening to Mikey.
"we've got an old member joining us again tonight," his voice rang out, waving a hand at Itsuki to gesture for him to stand beside Mikey.
as he stepped up, a few people that recognized him from years ago mumbled something, but most stayed quiet.
"this is Itsuki; he will be returning to the third division." as Mikey finished the brief introduction, the people that knew him started cheering for him.
the rest of Toman joined in, and you smiled as your friends cheered for Itsuki's return like nothing had changed.
the meeting was quick to end after a few updates, and as Mikey ended it you stayed at Musashi shrine, waiting to ask with Baji for your group to hang out.