Help From My Friends (1/2)

[thanku4urlove]

Title: Help From My Friends
Author: thanku4urlove
Pairing: Daiki/Inoo
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: A little bit of cursing, gangsters, some blood and injuries
Genre: An attempt at humor more than anything else? I'm not really sure
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Daiki's neighbors think he's friendly and polite, his boss sees him as a model employee, and his fiance Inoo Kei couldn't be more in love. Arioka Daiki is an honest, hardworking guy. Or at least, he is now. When someone from his past shows up at his door, Daiki has to try as hard as he can to help his old friends--and keep the man he used to be hidden from his fiance.
A/N: So! I wrote this fic for ryosukekoibito for Christmas. My main goal was humor, drawing from her incredible Heisei Kumi AU to play around with her gangster characters in an alternate setting as a way to make her laugh. I ended up accidentally adding an actual plot to the fic, and it ended up way longer than the Christmas present oneshot I intended it to be, so I'll have to post it in parts! But if you like her yakuza fic, give this one a read, and maybe it'll make you laugh. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go read her fic!! It's amazing! She's in the process of putting up the final installment (of the main story arc) on her journal right now! You'll love it, I promise.
kickass banner also made by ryosukekoibito





“I’m home!” Daiki called, closing the front door behind him. Silence returned his words, Daiki quickly toeing his shoes off with a frown. His fiance Inoo should be home. Inoo didn’t work, and even so, Daiki knew that he wasn’t out of the house; he’d seen both lights on and movement silhouetted against the curtains as he’d approached the front door.
      Daiki was halfway down the hallway when he heard a muffled giggle, and his frown turned into a smile so quickly he didn’t even notice it happening. That was a giggle he would recognize anywhere. Turning into the kitchen, he took in the room for just a moment before bursting out laughing.
      How Inoo had managed to get his entire body onto their small kitchen table without breaking anything--or collapsing the piece of furniture--was a mystery, but the effect was hilarious nonetheless. Inoo was sprawled across the wood in what he probably thought to be a provocative fashion, an expression on his face that was doubtlessly supposed to be sultry, but Inoo was having much too hard of a time holding in a laugh instead, and the combined result was much too funny. Daiki dropped his briefcase as his knees went weak, bending in a laugh, clutching at his chest.
      “Welcome home, sexy.” Inoo said, the seductive-amused face he had on even harder to maintain when combined with the words coming out of his mouth. He moved his hand across his stomach, lifting his shirt a little as he did so. Inoo’s belly was completely pale and soft, sticking out a bit due to the way he was arching his back, and in that moment Daiki loved every single inch of him.
      “I love you.” He had to say, completely genuine despite the last of the laughter leaving his mouth along with the words. Inoo’s eyes shone in a way that told Daiki he knew; he knew, completely believed him, and loved him back just as much.
      But instead of saying anything like that, Inoo just flung one arm out in Daiki’s direction, the gesture strong but his wrist weak, his hand flapping in a dismissive fashion.
      “I know, darling.” He said, all fake glamour. “How could you not?”
      Daiki had to run to him then and Inoo fully laughed, his head falling back as he did, Daiki bringing Inoo’s head up again with his hands to kiss him on the mouth. Inoo gave a little happy hum at the contact, continuing to smile for just a moment before kissing Daiki back, more ardently than Daiki expected. He was left feeling a little breathless.
      “So, how was your day at work?” Inoo asked, once he was upright again--still sitting on the table, the table legs wobbling dangerously. Daiki shrugged before speaking, slightly caught up by how much he loved his fiance.
      “Oh, you know. A standard Wednesday in the life of a salaryman.” Daiki couldn’t think of anything particularly interesting to talk to Inoo about, between the spreadsheets and emails. “There was a conference call about the upcoming corporate meeting, and I had lunch with Ninomiya.”
      Inoo gave a small nod in recognition of the name. “Does he still like video games more than people?”
      “Judging by the fact that he looked at his tablet about six times more than he looked at me, I’d say so.”
      Inoo laughed, and Daiki turned to stand in front of him, wrapping his arms around Inoo’s middle. Inoo was taller than him, even more so sitting on top of the table, resting his arms around Daiki’s shoulders. With a grin, he hooked his legs around Daiki’s waist.
      “What did you do all day?” Daiki asked him. Inoo bunched up his lips in an exaggerated thinking expression, glancing around and tilting his head to the side.
      “Waited for you to come back. Thought up my super sexy kitchen table plan.” Inoo didn’t go to work because he didn’t want to--his family was rather well off, the money old and more than enough to live on. When they’d gotten engaged, Inoo had offered to pay for everything the two of them would need, but Daiki had declined. It already felt like too much that they were living in a house and not an apartment thanks to the Inoo family, and besides; if he didn’t work, he didn’t know what he would do with himself all day. Inoo at least had a couple of weird hobbies to keep him busy.
      “Oh! I also got all the ingredients for this.” Inoo reached behind himself for a piece of paper. The paper was slightly crumpled--Daiki had the suspicion that only moments before, Inoo had been laying on it.
      “Is this what we’re making for dinner?” Daiki asked, Inoo humming in confirmation. Neither of them were spectacular at cooking, but had resolved to get better at it, cooking dinner together a couple of nights a week. Tonight, they were going to try to tackle tonteki with a few simple sides. Inoo hopped off the table, then they washed their hands and got to work.
      The pork ended up slightly dry, as pork is wont to do, but overall it was a dinner well done. Inoo reached across the table while they were eating and loosened Daiki’s tie for him, the engagement ring glinting on his finger as he withdrew his hand. Daiki loved this man so much.
      “I’m going to run a bath.” Inoo said as they cleared their places, sending an exaggerated wink Daiki’s way. “Care to join me?”
      Daiki laughed. “Maybe next time. I’m in the mood for a long soak, and I don’t want to bore you.”
      “I’d make sure it was interesting enough.” Inoo said, the flirty tone of voice back in full force, but he didn’t press the offer, simply retreating to the bathroom. Daiki got to work on the dishes while Inoo bathed, nearly finished when something out the kitchen window caught his eye.
Night had fallen by now, only sparse streetlights on, casting long shadows down the darkened streets. The neighborhood that they lived in was simple, bright and clean, but something about it in that moment struck Daiki as ominous. Dangerous even, because for a moment, he thought he’d seen something move. A large something, maybe even a person. His fingers tightened around the sponge in his hand. He couldn't be sure.         The bushes by the front door were rustling, but it looked to be from the steady movement of the wind. Daiki shook his head. He had no reason to be on edge like this. Not anymore. Drawing the blinds, he rinsed the final bowl and toweled off his hands.
Inoo was out of the bath soon after, sufficiently distracting his mind and in nothing but a towel. Daiki’s button up work shirt was no longer buttoned by the time it was his turn to bathe, a smile on his face as he made his way to the bathroom. It didn’t take long to wash off and add a little more hot water, Daiki sinking into it with a sigh.
      The bathroom window was open but the screen was drawn, letting cool air into the room and making the water feel all the warmer. He closed his eyes, his mind trailing over the day he’d had, the time he’d spent at work coming out like a roll of black and white film next to the couple of hours he’d had at home with Inoo. The idea of quitting his job came back to him, the idea of finally taking up Inoo’s offer and spending more time at home, but he shook it off the way he always did. He wanted to be an honest, working man. He wanted to make a living to support the man he loved, even if Inoo didn’t need him to. Inoo deserved someone like that; someone like the man he was trying to be. Not the man he had been when he and Inoo first met.
      A loud rustle had his eyes shooting open, the apprehension that he’d felt while washing the dishes coming back at full force. Something was out there. Someone was out there; still out there. He moved to the window as silently as he could and looked out it, his breath catching in his chest.
      There was a person standing outside. Their back was turned, and from the silhouette made by the shoulders and waist, Daiki made the assumption that this person was a man. He had on a trim and well-fitted suit, red silk peeking out past the suit jacket sleeves, his hair dyed a light brown and flippy at the ends. He stood in a slightly confident manner, as though he had simply picked this building to casually lean against as he looked up and down the street. Daiki could tell though, by the way he’d half flattened himself against the bushes, he didn’t want anyone else to know he was there.
      But he had no business at Daiki’s house; Daiki didn’t need to see his face to know that. He looked sleazy, part of a bad crowd, and doubtlessly nothing but bad news. He needed to leave. Daiki rose from the hot bath water, stepping out and quickly toweling off. He wasn’t fully dry when he tugged his slacks back on but it didn’t matter, shrugging his still-unbuttoned shirt over his damp shoulders. He didn’t go straight outside, making a short detour into the kitchen and retrieving a steak knife. It was a smaller knife than he’d like but Daiki still knew how to use it, fitting his hand to the hilt and gripping tightly. Then he snuck outside.
      The man was still there, standing up off against the side of the house and looking down the street away from Daiki. Daiki moved slowly and kept in the shadows, carefully watching the side of his face. If the stranger turned, even a little, he would see Daiki there. But, by some good grace, he didn’t; he twisted his head away instead, looking in the complete opposite direction, and Daiki lunged.
      He jumped on the man, wrapping one arm around him to pin his arm to his side, the other arm going up and pressing the blade to his neck. The stranger let out the most undignified yelp Daiki had ever heard, and Daiki felt the man’s knees nearly give out in shock and fear.
      “I have your money!” The man exclaimed instantly. “I don’t have it with me, but I have it, I swear, I--”
      Daiki’s mouth nearly fell open in surprise. It had been over four years, but he still recognized that voice.
      “...Takaki?”
      “Dai-chan?” The man asked back, and Daiki let the knife drop. He turned around in Daiki’s arms, and it was him, Takaki Yuya, looking only slightly older than Daiki had last seen him. He was thinner too, fully falling on Daiki with an exhalation of relief. Daiki had to shift the knife quickly to keep from stabbing Takaki--accidentally this time--stumbling backwards a few paces before finding his footing under Takaki’s weight.
      “What the hell are you doing here?” Daiki asked. He kept his voice hushed now, unwilling for any neighbors to hear, or look out their windows to see. This was a relatively rich neighborhood, and rich people were chatty. “I nearly killed you!”
      “I didn't know where else to go.” Takaki said, a desperate sort of tone edging its way into his voice. “I messed up, man. I messed up bad.”
      Takaki’s informal speech and slight kansai twang were so reminiscent of the past that nostalgia nearly knocked Daiki over. He pushed Takaki off him, making sure his old friend was steadied on his feet.
      “How did you find this address? It's all the way across the city. It’s registered under a different name.” A different name. His fiance’s name. The thought of Inoo had his fist tightening around the knife hilt. “What the hell did you do?”
      “One question at a time.” Takaki begged, hanging his head and covering his face with his hands. “I almost died like… Twelve fucking times today. Can’t I just come in?”
      “No.” Daiki’s stomach coursed with nerves. “Not until I can be sure that whatever shit you have on you hasn’t followed you here. If you can somehow manage find me, then I don’t know who else can.”
      “It’s okay. Not a lot of people know this address. But really Daiki, you don’t think that the Kumi would stop keeping tabs on The Dragon, do you? Just because you decided to straighten up and fly right?”
      The old nickname sent a stab through Daiki’s chest, air leaving him almost in a growl. He’d hoped, after meeting Inoo, that “The Dragon” was dead.
      He’d never been an official part of any gang, technically. The same way that Takaki wasn’t--technically. He wasn’t in the yakuza. But he had been on the wrong side of the law, doubtlessly. Daiki had found out in high school that was able to use his youthfulness and charm to get people out of their money, and doing that was so much easier than working a nose-to-the-grindstone day job that he’d more or less fallen into it.
        He’d met Takaki through this line of work, who claimed to have a group of people that protected him from the law in exchange for a cut of his profits. When Daiki found out these people were from the Kitagawa clan, a nearby Yakuza group, he probably should have turned tail and gotten himself a job. But instead, he’d fallen deeper into the swindler lifestyle he was carving for himself, slowly but surely becoming friends with the group of gangsters.
      Meeting Inoo had turned all of that around. It had been a chance encounter in a different part of town, and he’d been so wonderfully strange and enchanting that Daiki was taking near daily train rides in the hopes of running into him again. The gang told him that love was turning him soft, and maybe it was, but for Inoo, Daiki had been willing to take that risk. He gave them the last payment he owed--handing over a little extra for gratitude and old time’s sake--and hadn’t seen any of them again.
      Until now, with Takaki babbling on his doorstep in the middle of the night in Daiki’s quiet and law abiding neighborhood. Nostalgia be damned, if Takaki didn’t start explaining now, Daiki might have to use the knife after all. Takaki seemed to pick up on this, because he began speaking.
      “I was swindling this girl, right? Normal girl, kinda pretty but nothing too special; a normal job. Except she had money, man. Money. She just… Always had what I needed, and then some, and I kept wondering when she would run out so I could cut the crap and move on. But she didn’t. So we just kept dating, and kept dating, and the longer I hung out with her, the more serious the relationship got. And one day she decided she wanted to complain about her parents.”
      Daiki could already see where this was going, letting his eyes fall closed. Goddamnit, Takaki was such an idiot.
      “So? Whose daughter was it?” He asked. Takaki, all of a sudden, couldn’t meet his eyes.
      “You know, uh... The Amyuzu Group? That one that tried to start that turf war with us a couple of years ago?”
      Daiki nodded a little, only realizing after the fact how natural the use of the word “us” had felt to him.
      “She… She’s that Oyabun’s daughter.”
      In that moment, Daiki really wanted to hit Takaki.
      “So, of course--” Now that the bomb had dropped, Takaki seemed unable to stop talking-- “I got the hell out of there, right? Except now this girl’s been dumped out of nowhere, and she cries to her daddy about it, who asks questions and figures out that this is the same boyfriend that all of her allowance money has been going to, and…” Takaki shrugged. “I’m on their fucking hit list, I guess. Shit.”
      Shit was right. Takaki really was going to get himself killed. Sighing, Daiki rubbed the back of his neck.
      “And you’re sure that no one followed you? No one knows you’re here? No one knows I’m here?”
      “I swear.” Takaki said instantly. “I swear. Nobody knows. Nobody else knows.”
      Daiki studied Takaki for a long moment before having another sigh.
      “You can stay with me for one week.” He allotted. “Just one, and--”
      Anything else he was going to say was crushed out of him as Takaki swept him up in a death grip of a hug.
      “Thank you, thank you, I--”
      “Shut up.” Daiki squirmed away from him, but Takaki ruffled his hair anyway. “C’mon.”
      They entered the house and took off their shoes, Daiki hoping Inoo would be in bed or in the bathroom so he could wash the knife and put it away before it was seen. But he had no such luck; Takaki turned the corner from the hallway to the kitchen before Daiki himself did, pausing in his tracks.
      “Oh, hello.” He said, Daiki bristling. The words were so thick with charm that it was all but dripping from his lips. Takaki, showing up at his door begging for help, only to hit on his fiance less than five seconds later. Daiki couldn’t do much about it though, because he still had a knife in his hand, looking rapidly around at all the shoes in the doorway for a place to hide it.
      “Who--” Inoo started. He sounded apprehensive, and Daiki hit his free hand to his forehead. To Inoo, he realized, it looked as though a stranger had just waltzed his way into their house.
      “It’s a friend of mine!” He called out quickly. His eye caught on the umbrella stand and he dropped the knife into it. It didn’t seem to catch on any of the umbrellas, though a dull ‘thunk’ told Daiki that it had landed blade first, and was probably stuck in the wood floor. He would have to deal with that later.
      “Oh.” Inoo said, and when Daiki was finally able to turn into the kitchen as well, he stopped in his tracks. Takaki’s flirting still wasn’t called for, but at least it was understandable.
      Inoo was in nothing but an adorably oversized hoodie and pair of underwear, his hair soft but still slightly damp, fresh faced and clean. Usually, catching Inoo looking so cute and casual made Daiki take pause and thank his lucky stars for the way his life was going, but this time he found himself glancing over at Takaki. If Takaki somehow managed to ruin his life with this plea for protection, Daiki might just kill him himself.
      “Takaki Yuya, at your service.” Takaki said charmingly, sweeping into a bow.
      “He doesn’t need any of your ‘services’.” Daiki said, shoving Takaki’s back and sending him stumbling forward. Takaki let out another undignified squawk.
      “Hey!” Somehow, he managed to straighten up without falling on his face. “I was just trying to introduce myself to your… Roommate? Brother?”
      There was a hopeful tone in Takaki’s voice at the labels, Daiki opening his mouth to correct him when he was beaten to it.
      “Fiance.” Inoo said. He seemed not to have missed the hopefulness either, and shut it down in one word. Daiki bit back a grin. Inoo played with the engagement ring on his finger as he finished his introduction. “I’m Daiki’s fiance, Inoo Kei.”
      “Very pleased to make your acquaintance.” Takaki finished--goddamn it, was he still flirting?--Daiki resisting the strong urge to hit him across the back of the head.
      “He needs a place to stay for a couple of days.” Daiki told Inoo. “Is it okay if he stays here?”
      “Okay.” Inoo allotted easily. Despite Takaki’s flirtatious nature and sleazy appearance, Inoo didn’t seem uneasy or uncomfortable. But, Daiki knew, Inoo was also good at looking unbothered. “There aren’t any sheets on the bed in the guest room upstairs, but--”
      “It’s good enough for him.” Daiki said quickly, taking Takaki by the arm and dragging him away. Once they were out of earshot, he really did hit Takaki. “Stop staring at my fiance!”
      “He’s the one that doesn’t have pants on!” Takaki yelped. “Goddamn, how did you land a slice like that?”
      “None of your fucking business.” Daiki said. “But he doesn’t know about my past, alright? He doesn't know about the swindling, or the yakuza, or the fighting. And he never will. Do you understand me?”
      “Don't you think he would find it sexy?” Takaki asked back, and Daiki glared. Inoo would think the opposite. His family was rich and upstanding. Inoo was already too good for him; if he found out, he would leave and never look back.
      Daiki stared Takaki down until he got three full nods in response to the unspoken threat. Then they found a clean set of sheets in a hall closet, Daiki giving them to Takaki and pointing out the upstairs bathroom to him before telling him goodnight.
      Inoo was on the couch in the living room, his legs curled up under him, watching him come in.
      “Sorry about him.” Daiki said, sitting down next to him. “I haven’t seen him in four years; I forgot about how much of an idiot he was.”
      “It’s alright.” Inoo said with a bit of a laugh. “Words and glances are harmless. Besides, you are way hotter, Mr. Unbuttoned Business Suit.” Inoo trailed a finger down the middle of Daiki’s chest, Daiki looking down at his hastily pulled on clothes and laughing.
      “Let’s go to bed.” He said. It wasn’t until later, curled up together under the bedsheets, that Inoo finally asked him about Takaki.
      “I just want to know one thing.” He prefaced it with, the anticipation of the question sending a jolt of nerves through Daiki’s chest.
      “Yeah?” He asked, fighting to keep his voice level.
      “Is your friend a prostitute?”
      A loud laugh pulled itself from Daiki’s chest, partially from relief, but with a good amount of genuine amusement too.
      “No.” He assured Inoo. “No, he’s not.”
      “Oh.” Inoo didn’t seem particularly surprised, but Daiki felt he wouldn’t be surprised by the opposite being true either. “He might be good at it.”
      That just sent Daiki laughing again.

Daiki called in to work the next day, saying that he would be out for the rest of the week. He had full faith in his fiance, but didn’t want Inoo to be holed up all day alone with such a flirtatious monster. Besides, Takaki was dumb; he might spill the beans on accident, and then Daiki would have to murder him.
      They fell into casual conversation easily over a late breakfast, Takaki lamenting about needing a toothbrush and a change of clothes. Daiki offered to take him shopping later in the day, Takaki accepting gratefully, his tone so genuine that it seemed out of place. Daiki knew why it was used though, with the gravity of the situation; an offer of accompaniment was also an offer of protection in case anyone from the Amyuzu Group showed up. Thankfully, Inoo didn’t seem to pick up on the shift in Takaki’s voice.
      They were gearing up to go when there was a knock at the front door. Takaki froze like a frightened rabbit, his eyes wide. It’s them. With Inoo upstairs, moving some of their personal things out of the guest bedroom, Daiki was able to take the steak knife from the umbrella stand, holding it in one hand behind his back. At Daiki’s nod, Takaki swung the door open.
      It was two men, one of them extremely tall and lanky, in sunglasses with dyed brown hair. The other was shorter, black tribal tattoos racing up one arm. The tattooed one caught Daiki’s eyes and gave him a crook-toothed grin.
      “Hey, Dai-chan!”
      Daiki hushed him rapidly, yanking the two inside the door.
      “Hikaru! Yabu! What the fuck are you doing here?”
      Daiki had cursed more in the past twelve hours than he had in the past four years, but his old friends didn’t bat an eye at the bad language. They were two members of the kumi that Daiki had left behind, proper gangsters, with all the tattoos and scars they needed to prove it.
      “Hello to you too.” Yabu said. He was also smiling. “We sure miss you, Dai-chan.”
      “Don’t. He’s living large up here.” Takaki said. “He’s got a big house and a hot piece of ass.”
      “Takaki! Good to see you’re still alive.” Hikaru told him, clapping Takaki on the shoulder, and Daiki nearly seethed. Inoo was upstairs; he could come down at any moment and see them.
      “Why are you here?” He asked again. Yabu pointed at Takaki.
      “We’re still supposed to protect him.” He explained. “So we’ve gotta stick around, if that’s alright. He's staying here, right? You got room for all three of us?
      Daiki stood there for a moment, disbelieving. On the one hand, it was extremely risky having three criminals in his house, instead of just one; on the other though, if their enemies did manage to find Daiki’s house, it would be better to have all of them. The four of them could keep Inoo safer than Daiki could on his own.
      “I… Maybe.” He sighed. “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask my fiance, but… How could you just walk in my neighborhood like… Like this!” He gestured to Hikaru’s sleeveless shirt. “My neighbors--! We have to go.”
      “Go?” Yabu echoed, just as Daiki turned to yell up the stairs.
      “Kei! I’m taking Takaki shopping. Call if you need anything!”
      “Okay! Love you!” Inoo called back. His voice was slightly muffled by whatever it was he was doing upstairs, and Daiki dragged his three old friends out the door.
      “Love you?” Hikaru asked, the question loaded, but Daiki ignored it and handed Hikaru his jacket instead.
      “Cover up. My neighbors will talk.”
      Huffing, Hikaru did. The jacket wasn’t sufficient, the tattoos visible under the too-short sleeves and winding up his neck, but it was enough for now.
      The four of them took the train to a small shopping center, a place Daiki hoped was just far enough from his neighborhood that he wouldn't see anyone he knew. It wasn't very busy--it was a Thursday, after all--and Daiki felt it was safe to begin asking questions.
      “How did you know where I was?” That was first on the list. “This house is nearly across the country, and under a different name.”
      “Distance is relative.” Hikaru said with a shrug.
      “And name changes are nothing.” Yabu added. “It's not like it's a new tactic or anything. That's like… Step one for anyone that wants to go into hiding.”
      “I didn’t go into hiding!” Daiki exclaimed indignantly.
      “Right.” Hikaru said. “Sure.”
      “I'm not.”
      “No, you're right!” Hikaru said, and for a moment Daiki thought he was being serious. Then very quickly realized he wasn't. “Everyone knows that 'how did you find me’ is a phrase exclusively used by people that haven't gone into hiding.”
      Daiki rolled his eyes, but Hikaru's playful voice made it impossible to keep a grin from his face, despite his annoyance.
      “We just kept tabs on the bare minimum of what you were up to. Call it a soft spot, but we didn't want anything to happen to you. Especially since you're trying to make an earnest man out of yourself.”
      “Oh.” Daiki glanced around at the three of them. “Thanks, I guess.” The unknown concern was slightly touching, and Daiki found that despite the circumstances of them coming together now, he’d actually missed them.
      They walked through a few clothing stores, Takaki shopping like a man whose life was on the line while the rest of them trailed along behind him.
      “Is it really so dangerous that he needs the two of you?” Daiki asked. “I mean, swindling a gang leader’s daughter isn’t a great idea, but two bodyguards is a lot.”
      “Well, it wouldn’t be so bad if he’d picked literally any other group of enemies.” Yabu began. “He had a ton to choose from.”
      “But he’s Takaki.” Daiki said, both Hikaru and Yabu laughing loudly.
      “The Amyuzu group have been itching for a reason to fight with us.” Hikaru explained. “They keep getting into useless scuffles with us. We think they want our land.”
      “So of course, they wanna kill Takaki,” Yabu finished with an offhanded kind of shrug, “and they wanna use ‘helping and protecting’ as an excuse to attack us. The rest of the kumi are hoping to end the conflict before it turns into anything too dangerous, and we’re here just in case.”
      Just in case. Daiki didn't like the sound of that.
      Takaki finished his shopping, and they were about to head towards the register when Daiki branched off, heading down an aisle of long sleeved shirts.
      “What…?” Hikaru started, following after him. Daiki grabbed a stack of turtleneck shirts and shoved them into Hikaru's arms.
      “Oh, come on.” Hikaru groaned.
      “Nope!” Daiki exclaimed, shaking his head. “You're going to wear them. The whole week. You will wear them to bed.”
      “That's--!”
      “My fiance doesn't know anything about my past. He doesn't know about all the stuff I did, and he's not going to find out because of your tattoos.”
      “You don't think he'd find the criminal activity a little sexy?”
      “Why do people keep thinking that? I'm not having this argument again. You're wearing the damn turtlenecks.”
      Once they'd paid and left, Hikaru changed into one of the five new turtleneck shirts in a Seven Eleven bathroom and the four of them started back home.
      Daiki began to get nervous as they approached his house together. They looked suspicious. Hikaru, now that he was covered up, looked relatively upstanding, but Yabu and Takaki stuck out painfully with their dyed hair. Daiki could almost hear the neighbors gossiping.
      Thankfully, when Inoo met Hikaru and Yabu, he was fully clothed. Daiki introduced them, calling them old friends too and asking if they could also stay. He swore they they wouldn't be annoying, and that they could stay in the same room as Takaki, stopped in the middle of his attempt at persuasion by Inoo putting his hands on his shoulders.
      “Hey, calm down. Of course they can stay.” Then Inoo turned his attention to Yabu and Hikaru. “I'm Inoo Kei, Daiki's fiance.”
      At the word “fiance”, Hikaru's eyebrows shot up his forehead in unrestrained surprise. Bastard, Daiki found himself thinking.
      Yabu and Hikaru reintroduced themselves, claiming to be friends of Takaki's as well. Yabu was in the middle of telling some story about something that happened at the train station on their way here when Inoo's hand shot out and grabbed his arm.
      “I… Uh?” Yabu asked eloquently, but Daiki understood. Inoo had turned Yabu's arm, and was staring, wide-eyed, at a huge and terribly ugly scar that ran all the way up past his elbow.
      “This looks awful! What happened to you?”
      Yabu laughed, evidently embarrassed, trying unsuccessfully to pull his arm from Inoo's grip.
      “It was a long time ago.” He said.
      Yabu had gotten that scar while Daiki had known him. Himself, Yabu, and another friend named Chinen had all gone out for dinner and drinks together. Some random passerby hadn't been able to keep his mouth to himself, and intoxicated Yabu discovered very quickly and painfully that he'd brought his fists to a knife fight. The scarred skin was now so tight that Yabu was unable to fully straighten his arm.
      Inoo was still staring, now with his eyebrows raised. He wanted an answer, Daiki could tell, looking imploringly at Yabu. Give him a reason, any reason, except the real one.
      “Just… Uh… Cooking accident.” Yabu said lamely.
      “...cooking.” Inoo repeated.
      “Yabu does suck at cooking.” Daiki said, and it wasn't even a lie.
      “Oh.” Inoo shrugged a little. “I thought that maybe we could all make dinner together, since we'll need more food than normal.”
      “We can help cook!” Hikaru jumped in quickly. It was considerate of him, but Daiki wished he hadn't; he didn't want Yabu's lie to be invalidated so quickly.
      “Are you sure? You just said--”
      “It was a long time ago.” Yabu said, reaching out to slap Hikaru's hand--Hikaru had reached up to scratch his neck. Hikaru dropped his hand instantly, realizing he was about to expose his tattoo.
      “Oh… Okay.” Inoo said slowly, looking uneasily at the two newcomers for the first time. Daiki wished he could tell them to act less weird. “Let's get started, I guess.”
      Whether to keep up the lie or a genuine display of still, Yabu truly sucked at cooking. He blundered around the kitchen, bumping into people and knocking silverware on the floor. Daiki soon realized though, that while running hip first into the kitchen table may have been an accident, he was actually nudging Daiki's shoulder on purpose.
      “What?” Daiki hissed at him.
      “We didn't wash the shirts before Hikaru put one on!” Yabu hissed back. “He's having an allergic reaction!”
      Daiki glanced over. Hikaru was listening to Inoo explain the next step in their cooking process, trying very hard to keep a smile on his face. He was also trying very hard to scratch his arm without disturbing the shirtsleeve, though every time his nails moved, a tiny ring of black tattoo became visible on his wrist as the fabric shifted. Inoo hadn’t noticed, but it was only a matter of time.
      “But there's nothing else for him to wear!” Daiki said under his breath. He wasn't sure what was going to happen first--Hikaru taking the shirt off in frustration, or Inoo noticing the tattoos.
      “I'm going to stage a diversion.” Yabu said, with much more confidence than the situation warranted. “We'll figure something out.”
      Without warning, before Daiki could even hope to change his mind, Yabu went barrelling into Hikaru at full force. They both fell to the ground, Hikaru very narrowly missing hitting his head on the counter as they went down. Inoo let out a yell of surprise, jumping out of the way, Daiki taking a quick step closer to him. The two of them lay on the ground for a moment, half on top of each other, then in a painfully theatrical voice Yabu exclaimed,
      “I'm so sorry! I fell!”
      Takaki snorted, the sound almost a laugh before he clapped his hands over his mouth.
      “You broke my arm!” Hikaru said, his voice so genuine that Daiki was afraid that he was actually injured. Yabu scrambled off him, Hikaru rolling and clutching at his wrist. “It’s broken!”
      Yabu helped him up and led him from the room, Takaki trailing quickly after him.
      “...Is he going to be okay?” Inoo asked after a moment of stunned silence.
      “I hope so.” Was all Daiki could think to say. He and Inoo finished dinner together while the other three were gone upstairs, up there for a suspicious amount of time. Daiki was a little worried about the actual state of Hikaru’s wrist, but he tried to push the concern from his mind. Hikaru had broken bones before; he would be fine.
      As it turned out, Daiki shouldn't have worried at all. The three of them reappeared roughly thirty minutes later, tromping downstairs in a group. Daiki had to admit, Hikaru had tried the best he could.
      He had on the shirt Yabu had been wearing, a blue top with three-quarter sleeves. To cover the remainder of his tattooed arm, he'd wrapped it in an ancient ACE bandage, the fabric dirty and definitely stained in old blood. To keep his neck hidden, he had on a purple scarf of Takaki's.
      He looked utterly ridiculous.
      “Are you okay?” Inoo asked, hurrying over and reaching towards Hikaru's injured arm. “Let me see. If it's swelling, we should ice it before you wrap it up.”
      Daiki hoped that the old blood on the grubby bandage would deter his fiance, or at least cause him to make a face, but he had no such luck. Inoo seemed completely unfazed, beginning to unwrap it.
      “No!” Hikaru shouted, snatching his arm back. “It's fine. I'm fine! I just need to keep it wrapped, that's all.”
      “Are… Are you cold?” Inoo gestured to Hikaru's scarf. “We can turn the heat on.”
      “Oh, it’s fine!” Hikaru tried to smile, tugging the scarf a little tighter around his neck. Inoo frowned at him, silence permeating the room,  Takaki shooting Daiki the most incriminatingly uncomfortable look.
      “Let’s eat!” Yabu said loudly, and thanks to the painfully awkward segway, the subject was dropped and they did.
      Hikaru wore the scarf and bandage for the next three days, Daiki finally able to take Inoo out of the house for a couple of hours so the rest of them could do laundry. If Inoo thought it was strange--which he must have--he didn't say so. Daiki wasn't sure why he didn't mention it, but was too grateful to ask. They’d gotten through half a week without incident, Daiki beginning to hope that they just might make it.
      “What happened to you?!”
      The shout was Inoo, loud and surprised. Worried, Daiki rushed from the couch, Takaki jumping up next to him. He hurried towards the sound of Inoo’s voice, finding him standing just outside the bathroom door.
      Yabu was there too, standing in the doorway, stock still and half wrapped in a towel. He’d obviously just gotten from the bath, and Inoo just happened to be passing by, but was now staring at Yabu’s chest.
      Yabu had a giant scar up his torso, having been ripped open years ago from hip to shoulder. Daiki didn’t know the origin of the injury, but it truly was the ugliest scar Daiki had ever seen. The story behind it was bound to be rough, bloody, and doubtlessly illegal, and Yabu was standing there hopelessly.
      “What happened?” Inoo asked again. Yabu locked eyes with Daiki over Inoo’s shoulder, a desperate expression in his eyes, and Daiki had no idea what to say.
      “Car accident.” Takaki spoke up from behind them all. It was a stroke of brilliance, everyone turning to look at him. “He doesn’t like to talk about it.”
      “Oh.” Inoo said. His voice was quieter now, turning back to Yabu apologetically. “Sorry for prying. I was just surprised.”
      All Yabu had to do to sell the lie was to look uncomfortable, and he accomplished it flawlessly. Daiki let out a breath of relief.
      Inoo felt bad about asking, apologizing through various parts of the day, still expressing remorse and discomfort when he and Daiki were getting into bed that night.
      “I know why Hikaru wears those turtlenecks.” He said. Daiki didn’t think Inoo had any idea of the truth--and wouldn’t be saying it so nonchalantly if he knew--but it still made his chest tighten with nerves.
      “Yeah?”
      “He was in the car crash too, wasn’t he?”
      Daiki exhaled. This solution was too convenient, too good of an opportunity to pass up.
      “Yeah. It was really bad. Both of them are touchy on the subject.”
      Inoo nodded a little, and they went to bed.