Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The rain had fallen relentlessly that night, casting a gray, heavy shadow over the city’s narrow streets. The bustling hum of the city seemed distant, drowned by the downpour. In a quiet alley where neon lights flickered, Yuken leaned against the wall, his heart pounding in his chest. The rumors had reached his ears just moments ago, but they had already been enough to unsettle him.

Across the street, Sachio stood, his expression as unreadable as ever. He had always been the calm one, the one who held things together, but tonight, Yuken saw a crack in the facade, something in the way his shoulders were tense, his gaze darting around. Yuken couldn’t shake the whispers he’d overheard from the rival gang. They spoke of Sachio’s family ties, of dark secrets that went beyond the surface. things that connected Sachio to the very enemies they were supposed to be fighting against.

The rumors were dangerous, and the worst part was that Yuken couldn’t ignore the feeling that there was some truth to them.

He pushed himself off the wall and walked toward Sachio, his mind racing with questions. The tension between them had always been fragile, balanced on the knife-edge of mutual understanding. But now, that balance was shifting, and he wasn’t sure where it would land.

"Sachio," Yuken called out, his voice low but sharp. "We need to talk." Sachio turned slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Yuken. There was no immediate response, no sign of surprise, just the usual stoic calm. It made Yuken’s heart race even faster. He had expected more of a reaction, but this was too much.

"What did they say?" Yuken demanded, stepping closer. "What’s this about your family? About your past?"

Sachio's gaze flickered, and for the briefest moment, Yuken thought he saw a shadow of guilt cross his face. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by the familiar coldness. "I don’t know what you're talking about," Sachio replied, his voice quiet, careful.

Yuken’s fists clenched, and the frustration bubbled up. He couldn’t stand the secrecy, the constant lies, the way Sachio always deflected any question about his past. They had been through so much together, but this… this felt different.

"Don’t lie to me," Yuken said, his voice rising. "I know something’s going on. I overheard them, those rumors. About your connections, about things you’ve done. Why didn’t you tell me?"

Sachio's eyes hardened. "You should have stayed out of it," he said coldly, turning away. "You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into."

Yuken grabbed his arm, forcing him to face him again. "I’m not going anywhere until you tell me the truth. We’re supposed to be on the same side, but you’re keeping secrets. You’re dragging me into something without telling me what the hell is going on!"

Sachio jerked his arm out of Yuken’s grasp, his expression tight with frustration. "And you think your recklessness is any better? You run headfirst into everything without thinking, without any concern for the consequences. How can I trust you when you can’t even trust yourself?"

Yuken felt the sting of his words like a slap to the face. The truth of it hit harder than any punch. He had been reckless, that much was clear. When fighting, he had acted without thinking, driven by impulse, always pushing ahead without considering the cost. But hearing it from Sachio, the one person who had always been the voice of reason, hurt more than anything.

"You're right," Yuken said through gritted teeth, his voice thick with emotion. "Maybe I’ve been reckless. But at least I’m trying. At least I want to fix things." He paused, his chest tightening. "Can you say the same? Are you really trying to fix things, or are you just hiding behind your walls, afraid of what might happen if you let someone in?"

Sachio didn’t answer, his eyes cold, distant. He seemed like he was about to speak, but then he stopped himself. The silence between them grew, heavy and suffocating.

Finally, Yuken couldn’t take it anymore. The anger, the frustration, the confusion. It all erupted. He spun on his heel, storming away without another word. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the empty streets, the rain now falling harder as if the sky itself was mourning the rift that had just opened between them.

Sachio stood still, watching him leave. His heart pounded in his chest, but it wasn’t from the fight. No, it was from something deeper, a fear he couldn’t name, one he had been running from for years. His past, the secrets he had buried so deep, were beginning to resurface. And now, with Yuken gone, with their fragile truce shattered, he was left alone to face the weight of those fears. He couldn’t deny it anymore. The stone-hard walls he had built all those years around himself were cracking, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. And deep down, part of him wondered if he ever truly wanted to.

As the rain continued to fall, the city seemed to close in around Sachio, and he couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before the past caught up with him completely.

The aftermath of their confrontation left a heavy tension in the air. Yuken’s steps echoed through the drenched streets, but his mind was spinning with a thousand thoughts. He couldn’t shake the image of Sachio’s face when he had accused him of keeping secrets. The coldness, the distance: was it truly about his recklessness, or was it something more? Has Yuken been so blind to miss the obvious? The thought that their friendship might not survive this unsettled him more than he’d care to admit.

Back at their base, Yuken couldn’t focus. His anger still burned, but underneath it, there was a gnawing feeling of regret. Had he pushed too far? Had he crossed a line with Sachio that couldn’t be undone? He slammed his fist against the wall, cursing under his breath. The rivalry with the other gang was one thing, but this felt like something deeper, something personal. It wasn’t just about family ties or secrets. It was about trust, about the fragile threads that connected them.

lMeanwhile, Sachio was alone in his darkened room, the only light coming from the faint glow of a distant streetlamp filtering through the window. He leaned against the wall, his mind replaying the heated exchange with Yuken over and over again. The words stung, but more than that, they made him question himself. Yuken had been right about one thing: he had been hiding behind walls, not just from their enemies, but from everyone. Including Yuken. It was the weight of his past, the things he had done, that made it so hard for him to open up. But Yuken... Yuken was different. He had always been impulsive, and reckless, yes, but he had a heart, one that was willing to trust, to fight for the people he cared about. And yet, that very recklessness had driven a wedge between them. Sachio’s silence had hurt him, and Sachio knew it was only a matter of time before the truth would either destroy them or set them free.

Chapter Text

The next few days passed in tense silence. Yuken tried to focus on the gang’s movements, on the rivalry that was intensifying, but his thoughts always wandered back to Sachio. He missed their conversations, their quiet moments when they didn’t have to speak to understand each other. But now, every time he looked at Sachio, he saw a stranger, someone withholding the truth.
Sachio, for his part, was just as troubled. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the rift between them wasn’t just about the past or the secrets, it was about the trust they had lost in each other. He knew he couldn’t keep pushing Yuken away, but he also knew that revealing the truth was dangerous. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Yuken deserved to know everything. But would it tear them apart for good?

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and the city lights began to blink to life, Yuken stood by the door to Sachio’s room, his hand resting on the doorknob. He had been avoiding this moment for days, but now, he knew he couldn’t keep running from it. Without knocking, he entered, finding Sachio sitting at the desk, his face hidden behind the shadow of his hair.

"Sachio," Yuken said quietly, his voice softer than before. "We need to talk." The same words that started those few minutes that made their trust crumble just a few days before, yet this time they had a different undertone, one that represented an attempt to ease up the already intense tension between the two, one that was an invitation rather than a constriction.
Sachio didn’t move, but his shoulders stiffened, his body tense. He knew this was coming.
"Look, I—" Yuken began, but his words faltered. He didn’t know how to fix this. He didn’t even know if it could be fixed. But one thing was certain: he wasn’t ready to lose their bond, and he’s the type of guy who tries every possible way before giving up.

"I’m sorry for what I said," Yuken finally admitted, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I shouldn’t have pushed you. I didn’t mean to make you feel like I couldn’t trust you."
Sachio’s silence stretched on, but this time, it wasn’t as cold. Slowly, he stood up, turning to face Yuken. The weight of their unspoken words hung heavy in the room.

"You don’t understand," Sachio replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was trying to protect you... and everyone else. My past... it’s not something I can just explain." His eyes were distant, as though he was lost in those memories that haunted him so much. "The things I’ve done... the people I’ve been involved with... if you knew, you’d never look at me the same way again."

Yuken took a step closer, his eyes intense. "I don’t care about your past. I care about you. I don’t want you to carry this weight alone, not anymore."
Sachio’s jaw clenched, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, a vulnerability he rarely allowed anyone to see. "It’s not that simple, Yuken. I’m not a hero, and I can’t be the person you want me to be. I’ve made choices—terrible choices, and I’m not proud of them. But I did what I had to do to survive."
Yuken didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then, his voice softened, almost pleading. "I’m not asking you to be perfect. You don’t have to be someone you’re not, I just want you to be real with me. I don’t want us to be strangers anymore, Sachio. I can’t fight this battle alone. And I don’t want you to either."
For the first time, Sachio’s defenses faltered. His gaze met Yuken’s, and for a brief second, they weren’t the hardened gang members the world saw, they were two people, struggling with their own fears, their own insecurities, and their own guilt.
Finally, Sachio sighed a long, exhausted sound. "I don’t know if I can tell you everything. But I’ll try... I’ll try to trust you."
Yuken’s heart skipped a beat. That was all he needed. Trust. The foundation of their bond had always been shaky, but maybe this was the beginning of rebuilding it.

"That’s all I ask," Yuken said, offering a small, relieved smile. "We don’t have to have all the answers right now. But we’ll face it together, right?"

Sachio nodded slowly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his lips. For the first time in days, a sense of peace settled over him. Maybe they still had a chance. And for both of them, that was enough.

Chapter Text

-
It’s been a pretty long while since their reconciliation, the night air was thick with the hum of the city, the usual buzz of neon lights, and distant chatter that felt strangely distant tonight. Yuken stood at the window of Sachio’s room, watching the rain cascade down, his reflection blurred in the glass. The usual comfort of their shared silences was gone, replaced by an undeniable tension that had grown ever since their last conversation. It wasn’t just about the fight anymore. It was about something else, something neither of them could fully understand or name. The distance between them had shrunk in a way that both terrified and exhilarated him. Sachio’s presence seemed to weigh on him more than it ever had before, like a magnetic pull he couldn’t escape, and frankly, he didn’t want to. He glanced over at Sachio, who was sitting across the room, eyes cast down, his posture rigid despite the calm expression on his face. The same walls Sachio had once built around himself were still there, except now, Yuken could feel them closing in on both of them. And yet... something had shifted.

It was subtle, like the change in the air just before a storm. Every glance, every movement between them felt heavier now. Their conversations were shorter, words lingering in the space between them like unspoken confessions. Neither of them had addressed it directly, but both knew that things were different. That fragile truce they had built was no longer enough to shield them from the growing tension. Yuken couldn’t stand the silence anymore. It was suffocating, heavy in ways he hadn’t expected. He needed to break it, even if he wasn’t sure what to say. Slowly, he turned away from the window and made his way toward Sachio, each step feeling like an effort like he was dragging his legs with weights chained to his ankles.

Sachio heard him, his presence was unmistakable, but he didn’t look up. He remained perfectly still, as though he was bracing himself for something, though neither of them had spoken about what that something was. Yuken stopped a few feet away, the space between them charged with unspoken words.
"Hey," Yuken said, his voice low but not quite steady, and with one last breath he gathered his courage to finally let it all out. "We’ve got to stop pretending nothing’s changed."

Sachio’s eyes flickered toward him for a moment before he turned away, his jaw tightening. "It’s not that simple." Yuken took a tentative step closer, trying to find the right words, but everything felt wrong, like the very air was working against him. "It doesn’t have to be complicated, Sachio. I—" He stopped himself, suddenly unsure of what he was even trying to say. "I don’t know what this is, but I don’t want to ignore it anymore."
Sachio looked up at him then, really looked at him, and for the first time in a long time, Yuken saw a flicker of something raw in his eyes: a conflict, a fear, a hesitation. The space between them grew smaller, the quiet tension almost suffocating.

"I don’t want to make things worse," Sachio murmured, almost to himself, but Yuken heard it all the same. He could see the way his hand clenched into a fist, the tension in his body. The more they both tried to hold back, the more it felt like it was pulling them together despite everything, like a rubber band, and the more you pull it apart, the harder it hits when it snaps back. Yuken’s heart was pounding, his thoughts a blur. The air between them felt thick, charged, like something had already happened but they were too afraid to acknowledge.

Without thinking, he reached for Sachio, his hand trembling slightly as it rested against his arm.
"Why are you always so afraid of what you feel?" Yuken asked, the words coming out in a whisper, almost desperately, with a firm determination yet there’s a gentleness that reigns in his tone. For a moment, neither of them moved, the weight of the question hanging in the air. The world seemed to hold its breath, and the rain outside faded.

Sachio exhaled slowly, his chest rising and falling. "Because I don’t know if I can handle it," he said, his voice quieter now, barely above a whisper. "What if I’m not what you think I am? What if I can’t be what you need me to be?"

The vulnerability in his words hit Yuken like a wave, sweeping over him. The truth was, he didn’t know what he needed, not anymore. All he knew was that he needed this, whatever this was, more than he was willing to admit.

Before either of them could think further, something snapped between them. Maybe it was the silence, maybe it was the proximity, but at that moment, Yuken’s hand slid to the back of Sachio’s neck, pulling him closer. Their eyes met, a brief, fleeting glance that seemed to say everything and nothing all at once. And then, without warning, their lips collided. The kiss was hesitant at first, unsure as if neither of them knew how to begin. Yuken’s heart raced, his breath caught in his throat. Sachio stiffened, his hands coming up to press against Yuken’s chest as though he were unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer. But the pull between them was undeniable, too strong to resist. Yuken’s mind was a blur, the confusion of it all overwhelming. What was this? What were they doing? He pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against Sachio’s, both of them panting lightly, their faces inches apart.

"I don’t understand," Yuken whispered, his voice hoarse.

Sachio’s eyes were closed, his hands trembling against Yuken’s chest. "Neither do I," he replied, his voice breaking slightly, raw with emotion. There was no clarity, no resolution. Just a confusing, overwhelming mix of desire, fear, and uncertainty.

They both knew they couldn’t go back to what they had before, but they couldn’t seem to pull away from each other either. In the midst of their confusion, they stood there, tangled in each other’s presence, the world around them silent and still, save for the sound of their breathing.

Neither of them knew what would come next, what this would mean for them or their fragile bond. But for that moment, as their hearts beat together in that unfamiliar rhythm, they had each other. And that was enough. For now.