hidden gem | m. takashi

ii. bewilderment

"shoot," his friend—no, this is his boss talking right now.

hearing the man's order, your brows furrow together and gawk at the two men, "i'm sorry?" you interfere the two.

takashi's own words seem to come back biting him, 'manjiro is one of the few people you can trust.'

feeling hopeless, takashi looks back at you, eyes pleading for you not to utter another word.

the man who's being tested diverts his attention back at manjiro, "what are you saying?" he tries to be nonchalant while placing down his clothes.

manjiro simply handed him a gun, "you heard me the first time."

takashi's grip tightens around the loaded portable firearm. lavender eyes quickly scans the area, with his eyes clouded in anger and no second thought or whatsoever, he wields the weapon at his friend.

manjiro feels the cold muzzle come in contact with his forehead, with a click of his tongue he reminds him, "you're doing the world a favor but you, yourself, would know what kind of trouble awaits you."

as much as takashi hates to admit it, the silver-haired words were nothing but the truth.

sensing the sets of eyes that burn holes throughout his entire body. takashi's body turns and faces you.

your eyes widen at this, trembling in fear, "takashi..." you stutter his name under your breath, he can't be serious.

he told you that he will never get you involved with any of his gang-related matters.

"you're free to run, i didn't tie you up for no reason" manjiro's words ring through your ears.

it finally clicks in your head, this was a set-up. you knew the moment he approached you, the blank stare he gave you while explaining about this 'meet-up.'

but love may have played a big role in this, believing takashi's words more than the alarms that went off when manjiro stood before you.

feeling his throat close and tighten while his hand holding the firearm feels heavy beside him, he lets out a shaky breath looking at his friend.

"mikey.. please," his voice barely audible for anyone to hear.

you try your best to run or at least move from where you stand but nothing seems to work. it's as if your feet are nailed to the ground.

takashi slowly shakes his head at manjiro, tears slipping past his eyes, a rare sight to see the man in his vulnerable state.

however, the man merely stares back at him. "do it," he says before adding, "or should i do it myself?"

once again, takashi shakes his head to him and wipes his tears away using the back of his hand that's holding the gun, soft sniffles coming from him.

meeting eyes with you, the two of you feel the world slow down.

kind of ironic how it oddly resonates with your first meeting. all except the tears pooling in both your eyes, blurry vision of the person you love.

it's now your turn to shake your head at him, putting trust on him even with the sight of the barrel pointed your way.

"love.. takashi.." voice pleading for all of this to end up being an awful nightmare.

"close your eyes," takashi whispers while his hands shake in mix of hesitation and anguish.

"love, please..." he mutters, trying to steady his hand and clear his blurry vision.

repeating his name like a mantra, you keep shaking your head, eyes still in contact with his. "please, please, don't," persistent with your plea while trying to scutter away from the firearm.

left with no choice, takashi takes a deep breath and raises his voice for the first time ever since he met you, "i said close your eyes!"

flinching from his tone, your eyes automatically flutter shut as you feel the sharp pain in your thighs together with your scream of agony.

a snicker slips past cherry colored lips. his companion eyes him in horror for enjoying such a cruel scene, "you're behind all this?" he asks even though he knew what his answer would be.

"what? curiosity kills the cat," haruchiyo innocently replies to bonten's number 3.

one shot follows another, takashi carefully aims for non-vital parts. desperately keeping his vision clear from his tears, "i'm sorry, i'm sorry-" he mumbles after every pull of the trigger.

emptying the magazine, his finger keeps clicking the trigger while full on sobbing.

manjiro rises from his seat with his hands shoved in his pockets, "good to know that i was not wrong to put my trust in you," he says before looking down at your body drenched in blood, "be on your watch, you'll receive a call when needed."

walking closer to him, manjiro rests his hand on his shoulder, "just like any other day," the silver-haired mumbles which earn a shrug from takashi in favor of shaking off his hand.

"takeomi," with a snap of manjiro's fingers, the rest of the executives surface from their respective spot.

as if mocking his possible loss, the brothers' slow claps echo the empty room.

adding fuel to the fire, haruchiyo joins in with a loud whistle, "not bad. as expected for bonten's hidden gem!"

the boss sighs and walks out of the scene not before leaving them a message, "respect his privacy. meeting dismissed."

soon, three people remained in the room. takashi stood still in his place, gun still in his hand with cheeks stained in tears.

a gasp brings the man back to reality, lavender eyes wanders down to your almost lifeless body.

"y/n?!" takeomi's muffled voice keeps you awake.