Chapter Text
Today had not been a very good one for Miku. It marked the end of her first week working at Mikashi Co., one of the most prestigious fashion companies in Japan and her dream job since she was basically a toddler. She had worked her ass off during college and had left as one of the top candidates for the fashion designing industry. That was six months ago, when Miku had felt high on the promise of stardom.
“Stardom my ass.” Miku grumbled to herself frustratingly as she used her right heel to scrape off the sticky gum that had stuck against the bottom of her opposite heel. Yeah, turns out working for her dream company isn’t what she had initially imagined it to be. Instead of working with talented designers in the company, she spent most of her work days making coffee and running errands. And whenever she tried to pitch her sketches to her boss, he just gave her a pitiful laugh and told her to bring him another latte. After a week of dealing with this grueling disappointment, Miku found herself almost drawn to tears. But she was a tough girl, and she prided herself on being very resilient. She would get through this and once she was on the top, she would be the one to laugh at her boss!
The thought brought a malicious smile to Miku’s face and she almost forgot about her troubles until someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see a man in a civil worker’s uniform talking to her.
“Sorry ma’am but the bus broke down so it won’t be here any time soon.”
Just wonderful... She couldn’t afford to pay for a cab and the train station was too far from here, so she’d have to settle for walking the remaining two miles. Miku forced a polite smile. “Ah thank you for telling me. If that’s the case, is there another road I can take to get to Osaka?”
The man nodded. “There’s a road that weaves in between this street and the markets. Just make two rights here and go straight until you get back to the Main Street.”
Miku gave him a quick bow. “Thank you very much.”
Taking those directions into mind, she went along her way and put her surroundings into memory in case she ever needed to walk this way again later. The longer she walked, the darker and dirtier the roads and buildings became. She was definitely walking toward the red light district, but she wasn’t scared. If anyone approached her, she had ten years of karate lessons and a black belt to defend herself.
Eventually, Miku started recognizing her surroundings as she got closer to her neighborhood. She let herself relax a little as she turned around the corner past a dark alleyway—
“What the hell??” Miku screamed. Directly opposite from her was the figure of a large man slumped against the dead-end of an alleyway. The dark shadows covered most of his features, but the crimson blood trickling down of his face and smearing his shirtless chest was unmistakable.
Miku rushed over to him and began checking for his pulse. “Sir?! Can you hear me? Shit!”
The man lifted his head slightly. His pupils were tiny black ovals that seemed barely conscious of what was going on. “I’m fine.” His voice was deep and raspy, as if he hadn’t drank anything in years.
“Are you kidding me? Look at yourself!” Miku said incredulously as she gestured down at his bloody (and admittedly very ripped) chest and abdomen.
“Ah ‘s normal.” He said absentmindedly. Something about his tone made Miku think he wasn’t exaggerating about that.
“Still, you need help.” Miku said determinedly. She stood up from her kneeling position and grabbed one of the man’s forearms. “Can you stand sir?”
She helped pull the man up to his feet and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders so he could lean his weight against her. In this position, Miku became more aware of how fit the stranger was; not a single muscle on his body wasn’t defined and toned. She also realized that most of the dark patches on his upper body were tattoos and not blood. She wasn’t very knowledgeable about the art of tattoos, but even she could tell that they were an impressive job. The intricate details among the swirls of dark ink created an astonishing array of dragons across his back, pecs, and arms. A part of her was relieved that that meant he hadn’t lost as much blood as she had initially thought. The other part of her was concerned as she wondered who all the blood belonged to.
“My apartment’s just at the end of this block.” She told him as they slugged along the concrete path. She glanced over at him to see that his face was pale and his eyes were starting to glaze over. She knew this expression very well. It was the same expression one of her childhood friends had made right before she passed out after a tiring soccer match. Just before the man’s body crashed onto the ground, Miku wrapped her arms around his chest and used her body to counteract his weight. She felt his head fall onto her shoulder as he finally lost consciousness.
Fuck it. She thought, pulling her lips into a determined line. Using all her strength, she lifted the man up over her shoulders so that she was holding his ankles with one hand and his wrists with the other. With sweat pouring down her forehead and her heels creaking protestingly against the added weight, she willed herself to make it to her apartment.
Finally, Miku not so gently placed the injured man on her sleeping mat and keeled over as she caught her breath. After a couple minutes, the stranger gained back consciousness. He gazed at her for a few seconds before looking around at his new surroundings. He seemed oddly calm despite being covered in blood and in a random person’s apartment.
Miku rushed over to the bathroom and returned with an unopened first aid kid that came with the apartment when she had moved in a month ago. As she began to fumble through the bandages and ointments, a large hand grabbed her wrist.
“I can do it.” The man said simply. His dark eyes locked onto hers like a snake. “I have a lot of experience with this stuff.”
She didn’t bother asking him what he meant by that and instead gave him a resigned look. “Dude, you passed out for a solid fifteen minutes back there. At least let me clean off the blood for you.”
The man didn’t speak. He stared at her for a little too long before turning his head away and giving a short nod.
Is he blushing? Miku thought in surprise to herself, before picking up some cotton pads and dousing them in water and alcohol. She cleaned his chest and shoulders first, internally admiring the inky swirls peppering his bronze skin. Then she worked on his face, using her left hand to hold his jaw in place as she gently wiped off the blood with her right hand. Having the man’s face inches away from her own was intimidating, to say the least, especially since he never moved his eyes off her the entire time. She could feel her own face burning by the time she was done and she scooted away from the man.
“Much better.” She said satisfactorily. Without the blood, she could fully appreciate see the man’s features, from his stylishly cut black hair to the long vertical scar over his left eye to his adorable stubbled chin. Also, he looked a lot less intimidating this way. His staring shifted from creepy murderer to intense curiosity.
“Thank you miss...” The man’s gaze followed her as she stood up. “Ah...what should I call you?”
Miku smiled brightly at him. “The name’s Miku! And what about you?”
He blinked up at her. “Tat...Tatsu.”
“Hm...I like that name!” Miku said. “Very firm and strong sounding. It fits you well.”
A deep red shade settled across his face. He glanced away from her and furrowed his eyebrows. Oh my god. Miku never imagined that a man so ripped and scary-looking could be this damn cute.
She giggled at his reaction and turned her back to him. “Your injuries aren't that severe and you're a strong guy, so I think you should be fine in a few days. Anyway, I’m sure you have somewhere to be by now. Is there a number you want me to call for you or...”
A large shadow merged with her own and she turned to see Tatsu literally looming over her. His hands were clasped together in a praying position and he bent forward in a 90 degree angle. “Miku-sama! Please...let me live with you!!”
“HUH?!?!” It was Miku’s turn to blush now. “What are you talking about?! Don’t you have a family to get back to or—"
“No!” Tatsu interrupted hastily. “I can’t go back to my family now. I never can.” His head was still bowed, but the grim tone of his voice made it clear that he was frowning.
Miku bit her lip anxiously. “B-but...then why do you want to live with me?! We just met!”
“You saved my life!”
“Oh please! I just carried you here and treated your wounds!”
“A mighty feat performed by a mighty woman!” Tatsu insisted. “Please Miku-sama, let me repay you for your kind deeds in whatever way you wish!”
“I...” Miku sighed as she pressed her palm to her forehead. How the hell did she get herself in this situation? She thought about her parents and how scandalized they would be at seeing a strange, scary man living with her. One that she had just met less than an hour ago nonetheless!
No. Miku was a 26-year-old adult woman. She made her own decisions and dealt with the consequences like an adult. If she wanted to let this man she just met live with her, that was solely her choice. She was a designer; she thrived on a little bit of risk. Besides, something about Tatsu was driving her toward him. Maybe it was curiosity, pity, or...something else? Whatever it was, Miku wasn’t going to let it get away from her so easily.
She took a few steps toward Tatsu and knelt down to be at the same eye level. She gently flicked his chin up to look him in the eyes. “Ok. You can stay. At least until you fully recover from your wounds. We can determine what you want to do after that.”
The way Tatsu’s face lit up made all of Miku’s previous concerns evaporate. “Thank you! You won’t regret this, I swear!”
“If you say so.” She snorted a little at how weirdly intense he was, but her chest tightened with warmth.
That’s how Miku’s day went from being not very good to very interesting to say the least.