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Chapter Text

The metallic taste of blood filled Nicholas’ mouth as he felt the bare knuckles of his opponent come into contact with his lower jaw. It was a solid hit. He had been knocked back a few feet, but was able to stay standing, regaining his composure. He could hear a distinct ringing in his ears.

“Fuck…” He groaned, rubbing the blood dripping from his mouth as he braced himself for another blow.

The thick, acrid air stung Nicholas’ nose as he inhaled. It had that familiar sticky, sweet smell of blood, sweat and cigarette smoke mixed together. The signature smell of the fight club. It almost made his stomach turn.

He threw a punch at his opponent’s right flank, who dodged it with ease. Nicholas let out a low hiss under his breath. He knew he was slowing down at this point in the fight, since he sustained a hit earlier to his left temple. He could still feel the warm blood dripping down his face into his left eye.

Nicholas could sense the tension in the air, as he assessed his opponent. The shouts coming from the crowd surrounding them had grown even more demanding. Most of them had bet money on who was going to win this fight. His opponent was still considered a rookie, even though he had been fighting at the club for a few months now. Nicholas tried to remember his name. Was it Kenji? Kenzo? He couldn’t remember.

He just knew that most of the bets tonight were placed on him winning over his opponent. He was considered one of the veteran fighters around here, and his track record of wins was impressive.

Nicholas could hear curses coming from the crowd. They were being directed at his opponent, who seemed to brush them off as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He spit onto the dry, cracked concrete next to him before finally lunging at Nicholas.

He tried to throw another punch at Nicholas’ left temple, but was intercepted as he dodged it. At that moment, Nicholas saw a split second of hesitation, an opening. This was it, this was his chance.

Nicholas grabbed his opponent’s wrist tightly, before twisting his arm behind him. He pinned him to the ground, straddling his waist from behind. His opponent squirmed underneath him, cussing and trying to push him off. Nicholas knew he had the upperhand at this point. He knew he had to knock him out to win this fight.

Nicholas began hitting the back of his opponent’s head with his right fist, pinning his arm down with his other hand. He could hear his cries as he threw blow after blow, his face slamming against the concrete. He could feel the burning sting of his bare knuckles as they came into contact with his opponent’s thick skull. Again and again. Crack after crack of bone against bone.

It felt like an eternity until he finally heard the shrill whistle of the club’s referee.

“He’s out, he’s out!”

The crowd surrounding them uproared. Nicholas could feel hands grabbing him, pulling him off his bloodied opponent. He was heaving, gasping for air, staring down at the passed out mass below him. He could see a pool of blood forming from where he smashed his face down onto the concrete. He suddenly felt the referee grab his left hand, lifting it into the air, announcing him as the winner of this fight.

A group of people were helping out his opponent, who had regained consciousness. He looked worse for wear. A dazed look was on his face as blood dripped from his nose and mouth. Nicholas saw him throw up onto the cracked pavement. He definitely had a concussion.

Nicholas felt someone place a heavy hand on his shoulder, guiding him away from the clearing of the makeshift arena. As he was being led away from the clearing, he could sense that the crowd was amping up for the next fight. They already wanted to see more bloodshed.

“Great job, Nico, I really thought he might’ve had you there for a second,” Nicholas could hear his fighting coach, Fuma, mutter into his ear, “You did a great job at keeping your composure.”

Nicholas nodded in response, before wincing. He could already feel the adrenaline from the fight wearing off, the stinging in his temple now more pronounced. His entire body ached.

“Yudai will patch you up in a second here,” Fuma said, handing Nicholas a towel so he could wipe off the sweat and blood caked on his face.

He then began his usual ramblings about his observations from the fight, giving him advice on how to improve his technique. Nicholas was too exhausted at this point to comprehend what he was saying.

They were walking towards the back exit of the abandoned warehouse that held the fight club, weaving their way through the crowd of people who were craving the sight of blood and violence. A few of them were actively observing Nicholas as he walked past, finally able to see his injuries up close.

“Jesus Christ,” Nicholas heard Yudai hiss, as they exited through the back doors. He quickly discarded the cigarette he was smoking, as he approached Nicholas and Fuma. “I swear every time you fight you somehow end up looking worse and worse.”

“Thanks,” Nicholas winced, as Yudai gently touched his bloodied temple.

“I’m going to collect the winnings, I’ll be right back,” Fuma said, squeezing Yudai’s right shoulder before disappearing back into the warehouse.

Nicholas observed his surroundings. He noticed there were a few stragglers from the club walking around outside; smoking or drinking or chatting with each other.

“This is going to need stitches,” Yudai said, pointing at Nicholas’ temple. He pulled gauze and sutures out of his medic bag.

“Sit down.” He said, as he pulled on some rubber gloves.

Nicholas was thankful Fuma knew Yudai. Being a part of an illegal fighting ring, medical assistance wasn’t provided. Fighters needed to find their own medical care if their injuries were severe. Luckily, Fuma’s boyfriend just so happened to be a paramedic.

Yudai used an alcoholic wipe to clean Nicholas’ knuckles, before he started wrapping them tightly with gauze. “I heard the other fighter was just a rookie. He really fucked you up, huh?”

“Mm.” Nicholas affirmed, watching as Yudai worked. He felt a small smirk pulling at his lips, “I won though.”

Yudai sighed, “You always do.”

“Not always.” He winced, as the small suture needle pierced the tender skin around his busted temple.

Nicholas let out a low hiss, as Yudai continued to stitch up his wound. He was used to this routine. He was used to being damaged beyond repair after a fight and Yudai fixing him up. It didn’t mean the pain hurt any less.

By the time Fuma got back, Yudai had already screened Nicholas for a concussion and checked for any internal bleeding by palpating his bruised abdomen. He ultimately decided that Nicholas was as okay as he could be for now. He told him that if he felt any nausea, to let him know immediately.

“Here is your portion of winnings for the fight,” Fuma said, handing Nicholas a wad of cash.

They had an agreement that Fuma got 20% of his winnings from each fight, a fair portion for training him and providing him medical treatment in the form of Yudai.

“Thanks,” Nicholas said, shoving the wad of cash into the pocket of his athletic shorts, “I’ll see you first thing tomorrow, I’m guessing?”

Fuma was a professional boxer. He didn’t fight in the illegal fighting rings Nicholas took part in. He only liked to watch the fights, until he had met Nicholas.

Nicholas was just a fresh faced, twenty-two year old rookie when he first took up a spot in the fighting ring. Fuma had told him that he had such a determined, hopeful look on his face that tugged hard on his heartstrings. He was met with such a harrowing defeat that night, that Fuma decided right then to train him, to take him under his wing. That was almost three years ago now.

“Yeah, 8AM, sharp,” Fuma replied, wrapping an arm around Yudai’s shoulders, “get some rest, Nico. I’ll see you.”

Nicholas watched as they departed. He assumed that they were probably heading towards the train station to take the short ride back home.

He sighed and lit a cigarette, as he leaned against the hard brick wall of the warehouse. It was dark out, the only light coming from the street lights nearby.

He exhaled, watching the cigarette smoke trail off into the warm summer breeze surrounding him. He listened to the distant screams of the crowd inside, as they watched another fight.

🍓🍊

Euijoo could hardly believe what he was seeing.

Two grown men, about his age, pummeling each other. Bare knuckle fighting. It was something he had only seen in movies; something he had only read about in books. But here he was, in the flesh, standing within a large crowd that were watching the two fighters take each other on in the ring.

His friend Taki had taken him here, telling him about the betting involved at these fight clubs. He had told him it was a good way to earn money fast. And boy, did Euijoo need money right now.

“What do you think?” Taki asked, nudging Euijoo in the ribs.

He had a large grin on his face, and an arm wrapped around another one of their friends, Harua.

Euijoo knew Harua was not into this kind of scene, seeing as Taki had dragged him here with them. He could see that he was visibly tense. He had his arms crossed across his chest, and his lips were pressed into a tight line.

“Honestly? It’s horrific,” Euijoo said to Taki, “How do they not kill each other?”

“That’s the whole point, the risk,” Taki said, “You’ll see.”

“I think I see it already quite clearly,” Euijoo muttered, but Taki couldn’t quite hear him over the crowd.

One of the fighters in front of them had punched his opponent, knocking him clean off his feet. Euijoo watched as he pounced onto him, and began punching him over and over again. He could hear the cracks of the fighter’s bare fist hitting his opponent’s skull. He could see the blood flying onto the concrete. He looked away, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. He was relieved to hear the blow of the whistle a moment later, as the winner of the fight was announced.

“Next fight, we’re betting,” Taki said, nudging Euijoo again, “Nicholas is fighting”

“Who is Nicholas?” Euijoo asked.

“One of the veteran fighters here, he wins every time I’ve seen him,” Taki said, “our guaranteed moneymaker.”

“If he wins every time, won’t everyone bet on him?” Harua asked.

“Not everyone, some people like the uncertainty of betting on an underdog,” Taki stated.

His face lit up a second later, pointing at something over Euijoo’s shoulder, “See over there? That's Nicholas.”

Euijoo turned around, getting a clear view of the fighter named Nicholas. Once he saw him, he felt his heart stop abruptly in his chest.

He had shaggy dark hair and even darker eyes, looks that could most certainly kill a man. He definitely had the appearance of an experienced fighter. Euijoo could see the smattering of scars covering his bare arms and face; his crooked nose; his built frame as he warmed up.

Nicholas’ biceps tensed as he stretched, making Euijoo’s mouth suddenly feel very dry. He couldn’t help but think that despite the roughness of his features, he was beautiful.

“Come on, people are starting to place bets,” Taki said, as he grabbed Euijoo’s hand. He led him over to a group of people gathering nearby.

There was a young woman collecting money from the large queue of people waiting to place bets. Taki told Euijoo she would be allocating the money later to the winners.

Euijoo didn’t plan to bet much tonight, so he only brought ten thousand yen with him. However, once he heard the bets other people were placing, he thought maybe he should have brought more.

“100,000 yen, on Nicholas.”
“I place 50,000 on the rookie, he looks like a tough one.”

“Jesus Christ…” Euijoo muttered to Taki, “People are betting a lot of money on this.”

By the time they had placed their bets, the two fighters had already taken up the ring. They were warming up on their respective sides, as they waited for the referee to start the match.

Euijoo noticed another man standing in the ring, talking to Nicholas. He could see that he was listening intently, hanging on every word. He watched as Nicholas gave a curt nod to the man, before he squeezed his shoulder and joined the rest of the crowd.

Was he giving him some words of encouragement? Euijoo wondered who the man was to Nicholas.

A shrill whistle rang out a moment later, signifying the start of the match. Euijoo watched as both of the fighters began to assess each other, raising their fists in a defensive position.

“Let's go, Nicholas!” Taki yelled over the chatter of the crowd.

He was jumping up and down excitedly. A few people standing by had glanced over, and Harua grabbed Taki’s arm, shushing him.

The first move of the match was by Nicholas' opponent, who threw a punch at his exposed ribs. Euijoo watched as he dodged it with ease. He could see that Nicholas’ face was intent and focused, not a hint of a reaction caused by his opponent's move. Euijoo thought to himself that if looks could kill, his opponent would be dead already.

That was how the fight went on for a while, the two fighters trying to get a hit on one another, without much success. The crowd seemed to be growing more and more restless. They were obviously unimpressed by the lack of action so far.

Euijoo began to wonder how long matches like these usually take. As he went to check his watch, Nicholas was able to make first contact with his opponent, punching him hard in his solar plexus. The crowd went wild.

“Hell yeah!” Taki screeched loudly.

Euijoo didn’t know the first thing about fighting techniques, but he could tell Nicholas was good at it. The opponent was able to throw a few solid blows at him, but Nicholas always kept a firm and steady stance on his feet. He would dodge left and right, avoiding his opponent’s advances. He was totally in his element out there. This just made it harder and harder for Euijoo to look away from him.

Euijoo watched closely as Nicholas’ sweat dripped down onto his brow, his face glistening. He watched as his pink tongue ran over his plump bottom lip to moisten it. Euijoo could feel his heart racing in his chest, the tension thick in the air.

He let out a soft cry when he saw Nicholas receive a heavy blow to his left temple. His opponent’s knuckles had split open the delicate skin there, blood now freely flowing down the left side of Nicholas’ face.

Euijoo bit down onto the tender flesh inside his cheek.

“Is he okay? Is there usually this much blood?” He asked Taki. He noticed his voice sounded an octave higher than usual.

“He’s fine,” Taki said, brushing Euijoo off, “I’ve seen way worse at these kinds of things.”

Euijoo glanced over at Harua, who looked a bit pale. He was grasping Taki’s arm tightly and his mouth was opened in a tiny “O” shape. Euijoo couldn’t get a read on if this look was one of shock or awe.

He noticed the rowdiness of the crowd was picking up again, as Nicholas was punched hard in the lower jaw. He stumbled backwards, but quickly recovered. There was still a steady stream of red trickling down his face.

Euijoo could hear the crowd trying to rile up Nicholas’ opponent, who seemed completely disinterested in their disapproval. He had thrown another punch at Nicholas, but he was able to dodge it.

Euijoo felt a small gasp leave his throat when he saw Nicholas had caught his opponent’s wrist in a tightly wound grasp. If he had blinked, he would have missed it. In an instant, Nicholas had pinned his opponent to the ground.

Harua let out a soft cry, as he buried his face into Taki’s chest. He didn’t want to see Nicholas slamming his opponent’s face into the concrete floor. Taki tried to keep an eye on the fight, but he was also trying to comfort Harua. He kept glancing down at the man buried in his chest and asking if he was okay.

Euijoo, however, couldn’t look away from the image before him.

Blood was pooling onto the ground and Nicholas' chest was heaving. He was being pulled off his opponent by two other men. The crowd was roaring loudly as the referee grabbed Nicholas’ hand and announced him as the winner.

Euijoo hadn’t moved an inch the entire match, but he was sweating profusely. He could feel the scorching heat of a lit flame roaring deep inside his belly. He was discovering a lot about himself tonight.

-

Euijoo counted the money the woman had handed to him after the match, realizing that he had doubled the amount he had brought with him. It was still not a lot, all things considered, but it was a start.

“All thanks to Nicholas,” Taki grinned, waving the money grasped tightly in his hand, "there's a few other veteran fighters that we can bet on tonight too; if you want to stay a bit longer.”

Euijoo opened his mouth to respond, but Harua beat him to it.

“I want to go home,” He whined.

“Or not,” Taki frowned, “we’ll have to come again, without him next time.”

Euijoo agreed.

“You guys suck,” Harua groaned, pouting.

They began walking slowly towards the exit, as Euijoo counted his money again.

“It’s not a lot,” He sighed, before burying the cash deep into one of the pockets of his denim cargo shorts.

“Yeah, if you want more money, you can’t really play it safe at these kinds of things,” Taki stated, “I’d bet your next paycheck if I was you.”

“Not funny,” Euijoo replied, dryly.

“Or you could always become a fighter yourself,” Taki said, "I’ve heard fighters make pretty good yen at these things.”

“You’re joking,” Harua scoffed and Taki shrugged in response.

“Like, how much yen exactly?” Euijoo asked.

“A couple hundred thousand yen a match I think? But that’s if they win,” Taki stated.

Euijoo couldn’t believe he was actually considering it right now, but he desperately needed the money. He bit down hard on his bottom lip, deep in thought. Harua must’ve noticed, because he punched him hard in the shoulder.

“I swear, Euijoo, if you’re actually thinking about it right now,” Harua hissed, “It’s extremely stupid and dangerous!”

“I’m not, I’m not,” Euijoo chuckled nervously, rubbing his arm. He hoped Harua couldn’t tell that he was lying through his teeth.

🍓🍊

At 8am on the dot; Nicholas showed up to the gym where he and Fuma would train every morning.

Fuma would always rent the gym out for a two hour block, so Nicholas was the only one there when he arrived.

He opened the solid glass door, the frigid AC hitting him hard in the face. It was a welcome break from the scorching summer heat outside.

He hitched his black gym bag higher up on his right shoulder, wincing in pain. His body was still sore and achy from the night before. However, Nicholas knew Fuma would still push him hard this morning, despite his injuries, so he decided to start his usual warmup.

He popped an earbud in each ear, as he began stretching on one of the gym mats nearby. He pressed shuffle on his workout playlist, before closing his eyes. As he listened to the music, he began stretching his right leg, feeling the hamstring pull taut.

Nicholas reached the midway point of his warmup, and he hadn’t yet noticed that Maki—one of the rookie boxers that trained under Fuma—had been standing over him and calling his name. Maki tapped him softly with the sole of one of his sneakers, finally drawing his attention.

“Nico,” He called again, as Nicholas pulled one of his earbuds out of his ear.

“Hey, what’s up?” He asked, glancing up at Maki. He used a hand to shield his eyes from the bright fluorescent lights overhead.

“What the fuck happened to your face?” Maki asked, pointing directly at his own temple.

Nicholas knew that Maki didn’t know about the fight club scene he was a part of. He and Fuma had made a prior agreement to keep this part of their lives to themselves.

“Bar fight,” Nicholas responded, as he pushed himself to his feet.

This wasn’t exactly a lie. He currently works as a bartender for his day job. It was a steady paying job that didn’t ask too many questions, like why he showed up almost every other shift with a new black eye or stitches. Nicholas thought how there very well could have been a fight at the bar he worked at, just not one he actively participated in.

“Again?” Maki asked, raising an eyebrow. Shit. Nicholas had forgotten that he used that as his cover last time.

“Uh…yeah,” He replied, quickly. Looking around, he asked, “Where the fuck is Fuma?”

“Don’t know,” Maki shrugged, “I just got here a minute ago. Should we start running drills without him?”

“We should probably wait,” Nicholas sighed. He was relieved by the change of subject, “Yuma isn’t here yet either.”

“Yeah, but Yuma is always late,” Maki snorted. He walked over to his gym bag, fishing out his boxing gloves and strapping them on, “We might as well spar in the meantime.”

“Oh, you’re on,” Nicholas smirked.

-

By the time Fuma arrived, Nicholas and Maki had been sparring with each other for nearly 20 minutes.

They were both sweaty and panting, gasping for air. They equally shared that competitive spirit with each other, having pushed each other to their limits during their boxing match. Maki currently laid sprawled out on the gym mat, looking defeated.

Fuma acknowledged them with a nod, as he got settled. He dropped his gym bag on the floor with a solid thunk. He then kneeled down to unzip it, and began rummaging through its contents.

Nicholas couldn’t help but notice that Fuma looked more tired than usual. His raven-black hair was unkempt, and he had dark, puffy bags under his eyes. He also noticed the tiny constellations of bruises smattered across his neck and collarbone. He obviously had tried to conceal the hickies with the thick, black sweatshirt he wore.

Fuma glanced up at Nicholas, a look of acknowledgement crossing his face when he realized he was staring directly at him. Nicholas snorted out a laugh.

“What’s funny?” Maki asked, abruptly. He sat up, looking between the two older men for a semblance of an answer.

“Nothing,” Fuma replied, “Nico’s just being immature, as usual.”

He then stood up and placed his hands on his waist, assessing the two men before him. He raised an eyebrow, “Is Yuma late again?”

“Yep,” Maki and Nicholas responded in unison. Fuma sighed.

“He gets charged by the hour, you’d think he’d at least show up on time…” He muttered. He squeezed the bridge of his nose, visibly frustrated.

“I guess you two can get started with drills,” He said, “I want to see 100 sit ups from both of you.”

Maki let out a groan, still exhausted from their match earlier. Despite this, they immediately got to work.

Nicholas held down Maki’s legs as he started doing his sit ups. Fuma was playing with the speaker he brought with him, picking a playlist for their training session. All three of them heard the glass front door open with a sudden gush of air.

“Ah! There he is,” Fuma exclaimed, “And he brought…friends?”

Nicholas quickly glanced over his shoulder from where he was kneeling on the mat. He could see Yuma entering the gym, with two other men trailing after him. He knew one of them was Yuma’s tall friend, Jo. Nicholas played basketball with him a few times in the past. The other man, however, was a complete stranger to him.

“Yeah, hey guys,” Yuma said, “This is Euijoo and Jo, they just want to watch us train today. Is that cool?”

“Sure,” Maki said, without a second thought.

Fuma sighed, “I guess so. I just hope they won’t end up becoming a distraction.”

Yuma brushed him off with a small wave of his hand, as he began setting down his things nearby.

Nicholas frowned. He could see that Euijoo had been staring, wide eyed, directly at him since he got here. He couldn’t help but think how he looked oddly like a deer in headlights.

“Whats up with him?” Nicholas asked, standing up to face them.

They all glanced over at Euijoo. With all the sudden attention, a flush of red had creeped onto his round cheeks.

“Euijoo,” Jo spoke up, a moment later, “Do you know Nicholas from somewhere?”

“Uh, yeah, kinda,” Euijoo replied, “I kind of saw him fight last night.”

The training room grew eerily silent. Nicholas could feel Fuma’s eyes on him, burning a hole into the hollow crevice between his shoulder blades.

“At the bar?” Maki asked, skepticism drawn on his face.

“At the bar—What? No, I saw him at a fight clu-“ Euijoo began, but Nicholas was already walking over and grasping him tightly by the collar.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow,” Euijoo whimpered, as Nicholas dragged him into the empty locker room.

“Who the fuck are you?” Nicholas snapped, pushing Euijoo into one of the metal lockers.

Euijoo squirmed against Nicholas’ grasp. Their faces were a hair's width between each other, as Nicholas pushed him up against the cool metal of the locker. He could feel Euijoo’s bated breath brush softly against his face.

“I—I’m Euijoo. I’m friends with Jo, he’s the one that told me about this place. He’s friends with Yuma-“ Euijoo began to explain.

“Okay, yeah, I get that. So then why are you here?” Nicholas asked, with more force this time.

“I don’t know. I mean…honestly, to learn how to fight, I guess,” He rambled on, “I need money. My friend Taki—he told me fighters at the club make lots of it when they win a match. I want…I want to fight at the club. The club you fight at.”

Nicholas stared at Euijoo, trying to get a read of him. He could tell he wasn’t lying. He didn't seem like he’d be a good liar.

So, this meant he must be telling the truth. Somehow, this seemed worse. Nicholas released him and took a few steps back, letting out a sigh.

“You want to fight at the club?” Nicholas snorted. Euijoo nodded.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I could easily break you in two right now.”

Euijoo frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, “Okay, rude.”

“I’m being serious, you’re a twig,” Nicholas replied, as he poked Euijoo’s arm.

Euijoo swatted his hand away with a huff of breath and shot a heavy glare at him, "That's why I’m here, obviously, to train.”

“Why?” Nicholas asked.

“Why, what?”

“I know why you want to fight, for the money, or whatever. But why do you need it?” Nicholas asked, “Surely, a nice, clean boy like you can find a stable, well-paying job.”

Euijoo sighed, throwing a lanky arm over his head, as he scratched the nape of his neck, “I just—I have my reasons okay.”

Nicholas could sense the hint of desperation in his voice and decided not to press on the topic. That desperation was something he was all too familiar with. It's why he, himself, had turned to the fight club a little over three years ago.

“You know the risk you’re taking, right? People can die at these things,” Nicholas said, “It’s not some silly game. This is real, hard shit.”

“Yeah, I know the risk,” Euijoo muttered.

Nicholas watched him intently. He had a defeated look on his face, staring down at his own dusty sneakers. Nicholas could feel his heart clench tightly, deep down within his chest.

“Okay.”

“Okay…what?” Euijoo asked.

“I guess I’ll train you,” Nicholas shrugged, “Fuma trains me, but he has enough on his plate with me, Yuma and Maki. So I guess…I’ll have to train you.”

Euijoo’s eyes grew wide, and Nicholas noticed his ears had tinged a soft pink.

“Are you serious?” He asked, “I can’t exactly pay you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nicholas said.

Euijoo immediately began to protest, but Nicholas brushed him off swiftly.

“I said it’s fine, I just need you to agree to two things,” Nicholas said.

“Okay…what are they?” Euijoo asked, hesitantly.

“Number one is, that you can’t tell anybody about the fight club,” Nicholas began, holding up his pointer finger, “Fuma and I don’t want the younger ones to find out about it. It’s also, you know, illegal, so it would make things a whole lot easier if it’s kept between us.”

Euijoo looked around, “Are we in that Fight Club movie right now?” He asked, as a small smirk grew on his face.

Nicholas rolled his eyes and groaned, “Yeah, whatever, shut up.”

“But okay, I won’t tell anyone,” He agreed, “What's the other thing?”

“Number two is…” Nicholas began again, holding up two fingers this time, “don’t get attached.”

“Okay…And what is that supposed to mean?”

“This,” Nicholas said, flicking a finger between the two of them, “is just a temporary arrangement.”

“Oh, I see…” Euijoo muttered, “You must think very highly of yourself.”

“Maybe,” Nicholas smirked, “but I’m just being honest. Attachments in the fight club can be messy. I could die from a head injury or something during my next fight, or one day we might be pinned up against each other. It's just better on equal parts if we keep things strictly professional.”

Euijoo sighed, annoyed by Nicholas’ smugness, “Well, don’t flatter yourself. There's no way I’ll get attached. Trust me, this is purely transactional.”

🍓🍊

Euijoo ended up breaking the first agreement a day later. He was hanging out with Harua and Taki at their apartment, when he told them the streamline of events he encountered yesterday morning.

He decided it was probably okay, since they already knew about the fight club, right?

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Harua groaned, slumping back onto the plush rug he currently sat on in his and Taki’s shared living room.

“I think it's cool,” Taki grinned, “Fighter JuJu. Maybe that could be your fight club nickname.”

“Maybe,” Euijoo chuckled softly, “I start training with Nicholas tonight, around 6pm.”

Taki let out a soft squeal of excitement, “You have got to let me meet him sometime. I need to tell him how cool he is.”

“I’m not sure if he’d like that. I don’t think I’m supposed to be telling you guys about any of this right now,” Euijoo stated, “This is our secret, alright?”

Taki agreed and Harua did too, although reluctantly.

They put a movie on, some mindless romantic comedy, when Euijoo heard his phone vibrate in his backpack. He pulled his bag over to him, and fished it out.

He clicked on his screen, surprised to see no new notifications. He felt his heart drop into his stomach, realizing the connotation. It must’ve been his other phone. He sighed. What now? Why now?

He excused himself to the restroom, hoping Harua and Taki didn’t notice him taking his backpack.

After he clicked the bathroom door shut and locked it, he pulled his burner phone out, flipping it open. There was a new message.

Drop tonight. 6pm sharp. Behind the Tsukiyo Casino. Be there.

He felt his stomach turn. That was when he was supposed to be meeting Nicholas. Of all times they could’ve chosen, why then? He sighed. There was nothing he could do about it. He wasn’t allowed to respond, he just had to do as he was ordered.

-

This all started when Euijoo’s father died, a little over three years ago.

He was twenty-two years old then, still living with his family in his home country of South Korea. He was never very close with his father growing up, his drug addiction and gambling debts making him someone he chose to avoid altogether.

Luckily, Euijoo’s parents were separated—and his father spent more time trying to get his next high than bonding with his own kids—so avoiding him turned out to be quite an easy task.

However, when his father passed away, Euijoo was surprised that he felt more resentment and unbridled guilt than anything else. He realized that he was disappointed in himself, disappointed that he didn’t try to rekindle a relationship with his father. 

That was until the day he came home to find his mother sobbing over a letter someone had dropped into their mailbox. After reading that letter, all Euijoo could feel was pure hatred and anger for his father.

Most well-meaning fathers pass down cherished heirlooms or fond memories to their children when they pass away. Euijoo’s father had passed down nothing but hardship. His father owed 75 million yen in debt to one of the biggest organized crime groups in Japan. The Ryuji gang, they were called. They requested that his family pay back this debt immediately or they’d lose everything: their house, their belongings, his Mother’s tea shop. They would destroy their lives.

Being the only man of the house, and desperately wanting to protect his mother and sister, Euijoo had agreed to work for the Ryuji gang to repay his father’s debt.

That was how he ended up in Japan: dealing drugs, washing the money he earns from dealing drugs, giving the washed money back to the gang and repeating the process.

Euijoo hated it. He missed his family back in Korea. He missed his life. Even after three years, he had barely made a dent in his father's 75 million yen debt. This is why he was so desperate for money. This is why he would fight.

-

After picking up the drop that night, Euijoo showed up to the gym at approximately 6:45pm. He was completely out of breath, having run most of the way from the drop location.

Nicholas was sitting down on one of the weightlifting benches, scrolling on his phone mindlessly. He glanced up at Euijoo as he entered the gym.

“You’re late,” He stated.

Euijoo quickly scanned his face for any hint of emotion. Was he mad? Upset? He couldn’t get a read of him.

“Yeah,” Euijoo sighed, “I’m sorry.”

Nicholas’ dark eyes stared at him intensely. For some odd reason, Euijoo felt a tiny flutter in the pit of his stomach.

“No excuses?” Nicholas asked, “I thought maybe you would be making up some bullshit story about why you’re late right now.”

“Nope, no excuses,” Euijoo replied, “Can we get started?”

He dropped his heavy backpack onto the floor, hoping the loud thunk it made didn’t sound too suspicious.

“Alright, sure,” Nicholas said. He traipsed over onto the gym mat and gestured towards Euijoo, “Let’s see what you can do.”

“Uh…what?” Euijoo asked, confusion apparent in his voice.

“Come on, fight me,” Nicholas ordered this time.

Euijoo just stared at him, mouth agape, before realizing he was completely serious.

“Shouldn’t I be hitting some punching bags? Or lifting some weights or something? Before fighting anyone for real?” Euijoo asked. His voice came out in a high pitched whine, and he realized how nervous he sounded.

“Maybe, but I want to see how strong you are first,” Nicholas said, “Come on.”

“Okay…” Euijoo muttered, before walking over to face Nicholas.

He raised his closed fists up slowly into a defensive position, as Nicholas did the same. They just stood there, staring at each other for a long time.

Euijoo knew that he was going to have to make the first move, but didn’t know where to begin. Should he aim for his stomach? Try to swipe his legs out from underneath him? How should he go about this?

“Any day now,” Nicholas said, “But I do work tonight, just FYI, my shift starts at 8:30.”

As he said this, Euijoo saw him lower his guard for a split second. He lunged for him then, aiming for his face. However, he was pinned to the ground in seconds.

Euijoo felt strong arms wrap around his waist, as Nicholas flipped him over. His face was pressed hard against the gym mat underneath him. He could feel warm hands pressed to the small of his back, and felt heat rushing to his cheeks.

“Nice try,” Nicholas let out a chuckle, as he pushed off Euijoo to stand again, “Let’s go, again.”

Euijoo rolled over onto his back, staring up at Nicholas.

“It's hopeless, I don’t know what I’m doing,” He groaned, “Are you just doing this because you’re mad I was late?”

“No, but it is quite satisfying,” Nicholas smirked.

Euijoo pushed himself up onto his feet and got into position again. Nicholas observed him closely, walking right over and encircling him. Euijoo glanced over his shoulder as Nicholas walked up right behind him.

“It’s the way you’re standing, I could easily knock you off your feet,” Nicholas explained.

He pushed Euijoo’s legs farther apart, widening his stance so he was more grounded into the floor. He then reached a hand forward, tentatively, grasping Euijoo’s wrist as he raised his arms slightly higher.

“Right there,” Nicholas muttered, his hot breath tickling Euijoo’s right ear.

Euijoo could feel his heart trying to burst out of his chest. He could hear blood rushing loudly in his ears.

“Thanks,” Euijoo mumbled, as Nicholas walked back over to where he was standing before. Euijoo’s wrist tingled from the ghost of his touch.

“Now, come on, again,” Nicholas challenged, this time in English, as he flicked two fingers on each hand towards himself.

-

Euijoo laid sprawled out on the gym mat, exhausted and sweaty. His chest was heaving, as his lungs were desperate for air.

In the past hour, he hadn’t been able to get even a single hit on Nicholas. But he had been pinned down to the mat below him more times than he could count. Nicholas stood over him now, cool and collected, like this was just a warmup for him.

“H-how..” Euijoo huffed, “Are you so…strong?”

“I’ve been fighting for the past three years,” Nicholas shrugged. He then grinned, smugly, “you might be able to knock me off my feet eventually, with enough practice.”

Euijoo groaned, throwing an arm over his face, “How am I ever going to win a fight at the club?”

“There are lots of inexperienced fighters like you there,” Nicholas stated, “You may not be able to beat me anytime soon, but if you train with me three times a week like we’ve planned, you can probably win some matches here and there in a few month’s time.”

“In a few months…” Euijoo muttered to himself, finding it unbelievable.

He lay there for a while, catching his breath. When he opened his eyes, he could see Nicholas still staring down at him, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“What?” Euijoo asked.

“Nothing,” Nicholas said, as he quickly shook his head. He looked like he just snapped out of whatever kind of happy daze he was in.

“I got to head to work here soon, so I’m gonna shower,” He stated, pointing his thumb towards the locker rooms behind him, “You can chill for a bit. Just make sure to leave before I do, so I can lock this place up when I head out. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Okay, see you then,” Euijoo nodded.

He watched as Nicholas disappeared into the locker rooms. He needed to shower too, desperately, but the thought of being naked in any close vicinity to Nicholas made him feel lightheaded. He decided he’d shower at his apartment later.

He stood up and grabbed his backpack, swinging it up onto his shoulder. It was heavy from the weight of the kilogram of cocaine he carried within it.

🍓🍊

Two days later, Nicholas' alarm went off at 6am on Monday morning. He let out a soft groan, rubbing his tired eyes, before grabbing his phone off his bedside table to turn it off. The man next to him shifted in his sleep, his arm still draped over Nicholas’ naked body. Nicholas flicked it off him, before crawling out of bed.

He pulled on his boxers, glancing over at the man still asleep in his bed. It was one of his coworkers from the bar he worked at—Hiroshi. They would fuck around from time to time, but he never usually slept over.

Why was he still here? Nicholas thought he made it quite apparent that this was a fuck with no strings attached kind of relationship. Actual romantic relationships were way too complicated for him, especially if anyone he dated found out his usual way of blowing off steam.

Nicholas started to get ready for his day as loudly as he could, hoping that would stir Hiroshi awake. Unfortunately, this proved to be a fruitless endeavor, as Hiroshi continued to sleep. 

Nicholas groaned. Fuck this. He had to get ready for his usual training with Fuma in 2 hours. He needed this dude out of his apartment.

“Hey,” Nicholas muttered, shaking Hiroshi’s shoulder roughly.

Hiroshi finally stirred, opening his eyes slowly.

“Hey,” He smiled, “Good morning.”

“Yeah, good morning, whatever,” Nicholas responded, “I need you to head out now, I have somewhere to be.”

Nicholas really didn’t mean to snap at him, but he hated when hookups stayed over. He hated when people got attached. He was definitely not fucking this guy again.

Hiroshi frowned, before crawling out of Nicholas’ bed and grabbing his discarded clothing off the floor.

“We’ve been seeing each other for two months now, Nico,” Hiroshi stated, “I thought it was okay if just this once, I slept over.”

“Nope, not okay.”

He went back to his usual morning routine, rustling through one of his dresser drawers for what he was going to wear for the day. He was completely not interested in whatever this guy's deal was.

“You’re such a fucking asshole,” Hiroshi groaned. He was pulling on his shoes now, lacing them up, “You were way more affectionate last night than usual, so I thought—“

“You thought wrong,” Nicholas replied swiftly.

Except deep down, he knew he wasn’t wrong. He was a bit more affectionate last night. He had let Hiroshi kiss him, let him fuck him missionary style, let him cuddle him afterwards.

The thing was, he was imagining it was someone else entirely. Someone he had met just a few days before. He was imagining it was Euijoo, and he hated himself for it.

Nicholas hadn’t felt this way in a long time. He hadn’t had a stupid crush like this since grade school. He knew he was breaking the second rule he had placed between himself and Euijoo—he was starting to get attached. But it’s not like he was doing it on purpose, Euijoo was just so…Euijoo.

Nicholas thought Euijoo was attractive from the first moment he saw him walk into that gym. He had soft, brown hair that curled up at the nape, framing his delicately round face. A beautiful face with plush, full lips and big, brown eyes.

Nicholas was convinced that Euijoo’s eyes could completely absorb him, and see into the deepest depths of his dark, black soul. He was completely fucked.

And how could he not like the guy after getting to pin him down to the gym mat over and over again. He had even imagined if it had Euijoo been pinning him down instead. He imagined him pressing his hands down into the mat, kissing him roughly, opening him up, fucking himself into him. Oh god…he was going to be sick.

Nicholas heard his front door slam shut, as Hiroshi left his apartment, knocking him out of whatever kind of drunken stupor he was in. Fucking finally.

He ate breakfast, brushed his teeth and showered, all before heading out on his usual commute to the gym. As he exited his apartment building, he popped an earbud in each ear. He hit play on one of his music playlists, as he began his walk to the train station.

He suddenly felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and pulled it out without a second thought. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw it was a message from none other than Euijoo.

EJ: still meeting tonight right? 6pm?
NICO: yep. c u then.

He buried his phone back into his pocket, trying to hide the giddy skip in his step as continued his commute. He felt stupid. It was just a five word text message, so why was he feeling this way?

-

“You look happy,” Fuma said. It was the first thing he said to Nicholas when he arrived at the gym that morning.

“Oh, really?” Nicholas asked, trying his best to sound nonchalant.

“Yes…this doesn’t have anything to do with your trainee, does it?” Fuma asked, in a hushed voice, “You know fight club relationships can get complicated.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nicholas lied.

He glanced over at Maki and Yuma, who didn’t seem to notice him and Fuma chatting in hushed whispers with each other. Yuma was spotting Maki as he lifted weights.

“Sure you don’t…” Fuma muttered, but immediately changed the subject, “Anyways, my contact reached out, the club is meeting tonight. Are you in?”

The fight club never met on a planned schedule. The club heads would usually use word of mouth to let members know if they were meeting. Fighters could choose whether or not to show up and participate.

“Sure,” Nicholas said, “I might bring Euijoo, just so he can observe some techniques.”

“Alright,” Fuma said, his mouth drawn into a solid, tight line. Nicholas could tell he didn’t like whatever he thought was going on between them, “As long as he won’t be a distraction for you.”

Nicholas scoffed, “Why would he be?”

-

Nicholas watched as Euijoo took a long swig from his water bottle. He could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed, and he  forced himself to look away, plagued by impure thoughts.

They had just finished training for the night. Nicholas barely broke a sweat, as usual, while Euijoo was huffing from where he sat on the gym mat.

“I’m so sore,” He whined, stretching both arms over his head, as he slumped onto his back.

“You’re probably going to be sore for a bit, as you build up some muscle,” Nicholas said, “If I were you, I would start doing stretches in the morning, to warm up your body for the day. Drinking lots of water helps as well.”

Euijoo looked up at him and snorted, “Okay, Mom.”

“Shut up,” Nicholas hissed, kicking Euijoo softly with his shoe, “Sorry, I was just trying to give you advice as your trainer. How completely rude and horrible of me.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll do as I’m told,” Euijoo sighed, before pushing himself to his feet, “So, I’ll see you on Wednesday?”

“Yeah, about that…” Nicholas began, “The fight club is meeting tonight.”

Euijoo stared at him for a moment, a disoriented look on his face.

“Okay…and?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to come watch me fight, you know…to observe,” Nicholas clarified.

God, why did he feel so nervous right now? He felt like he was at the playground, asking out some silly grade school crush. This was his trainee, for fucks sake, he was inviting him along to watch purely for educational purposes. But Nicholas already knew if Euijoo agreed to come tonight, he’d definitely be putting on a show.

After he shared this proposal, he saw Euijoo give him a look that he couldn’t quite describe. Was it hunger? Desire? Surely, he had just imagined it.

“Yeah, sure,” Euijoo agreed, grinning, “just to observe, or whatever.”

-

Nicholas stood amidst the crowd on the sidelines, as another match was currently occurring in the ring. He was warming up, stretching his right arm across his body, as he loosened the tense muscles in his bicep and shoulder. Euijoo and Fuma stood nearby, as they both watched the current match.

Nicholas watched Euijoo’s eyes focus on the fighters every move, his lips parted slightly. He glanced over at him, their eyes meeting. Euijoo gave him a small, reassuring smile, before they both tore their gazes away from each other.

Fuma seemed to take this opportunity to point out Nicholas’ opponent, who stood a few feet behind them. His name was Tadashi, and much like Nicholas, he was a veteran fighter at the club.

Nicholas had seen him fight a few times before. He was pretty good, all things considered. Not all of the fighters at the club had fighting coaches training them like Nicholas and Tadashi did. This meant he was a bit more on an equal playing ground with him than the other fighters were. It wouldn’t be an easy fight.

“In his previous fights, I’ve seen him favor his left leg,” Fuma told Nicholas, “He must have gotten an injury there in the past, so I would use that to your advantage during your fight.”

“Okay,” He nodded, watching Tadashi from afar.

He was chatting with his coach, stealing quick glances over at Nicholas. They must be discussing their strategy for the upcoming fight, just as he and Fuma had been.

Nicholas heard the shrill whistle from the referee, signaling that the current match was over. He hadn’t been paying attention. He glanced over as he saw one of the fighters sprawled out on the concrete. He was passed out, blood flowing freely from his broken nose. The winner was celebrating his victory, as the crowd cheered him on.

Nicholas knew he should be taking his spot in the ring right now, so he could prepare for his own fight. However, he quickly turned to Euijoo and grinned, “Wish me luck?”

“Good luck,” Euijoo said.

Nicholas nodded, before he began to walk over towards the ring.

He heard Euijoo call him, “Nico…” He began, “Don’t lose.”

“I won’t,” Nicholas promised, as he tried to keep a cool composure.

He could feel his stomach do a backflip when he heard Euijoo use his nickname for the first time. He suddenly felt like could do anything. Fly even.

Fuma followed Nicholas as he entered the ring, giving him some final pointers for his fight.

“You’ll do great, Nico,” Fuma said, patting him on the shoulder, “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Nicholas replied, as he watched Fuma disappear into the midst of the crowd.

He cracked his neck and knuckles, as he waited for the referee to signify the start of the match. He could see Tadashi warming up on the other side of the ring, his focused gaze not leaving his own. Just then, a familiar shrill whistle rang out.

-

The match lasted all of five minutes.

Nicholas didn’t know what possessed him. Maybe just the thought of having Euijoo watch him fight, he wasn’t sure.

He knocked Tadashi out in two blows. It had to be some kind of world record. He was still in shock, standing over the knocked out Tadashi, who laid sprawled out on the ground.

Nicholas didn’t have a single scratch on him. He could only feel the aching of his knuckles from where they came into contact with Tadashi’s face.

The referee held Nicholas’ hand in the air, announcing his win. The crowd was reeling, screams of astonishment rang out.

Nicholas knew there were no rules in the fight club, but he had a feeling the club heads were probably disappointed with his match.

Longer matches drew more excitement from the crowd, leading them to place more bets. More people placing more bets meant more losing their money to the fight club, which meant more yen being spread between the club heads and match winners. They would definitely consider his match a loss in their eyes. 

Fuma walked over to Nicholas, looking particularly stunned.

“Yudai will be happy, I guess,” Fuma stated, “We should go tell him, then collect the winnings.”

Nicholas didn’t respond, his mind on other matters.

“Where’s Euijoo?” He asked, glancing over Fuma’s shoulder. His eyes scanned the crowd, but he couldn’t see Euijoo anywhere.

“Nico…” Fuma began, slowly. Nicholas noticed the sympathetic look on his face.

“What?” He asked, and then grimaced. It came out way more direct and snappy than he meant it to.

“He, uh…Euijoo left, Nico. He got a phone call or something,” Fuma explained, “Right before the match started.”

Nicholas frowned. He pressed his lips together tightly, “I see.”

“Are you okay?” Fuma asked, “I’m sure he meant to watch, something probably came up.”

Nicholas felt a lot of things, but he felt especially thankful for Fuma right about now.

He was so glad he wasn’t telling him how he told him so. So glad that he wasn’t rubbing the pain in. Fuma seemed genuinely concerned for him, and considerate of his feelings.

Nicholas shook his head, “I’m fine, it's whatever,” He shrugged, “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Chapter Text

Euijoo sat at the Blackjack table at the Tsukiyo Casino. He was hunched over his cellphone, his fingers flying swiftly across his phone keyboard as he texted Nicholas.

EJ: im sorry i had to head out before your match. something came up. did u win? 

NICO: yes of course. 

EJ:  i knew u would :) see you wednesday?

NICO: yep. c u weds. 

Euijoo sighed, before shoving his phone into his back pocket. He wished that he could tell Nicholas why he had to leave. He wished he could tell him just how badly he wanted to stay. 

The “something” that came up that night was a phone call from his contact from the Ryuji gang, Isamu, who he currently sat next to at the Blackjack table.

Isamu was considered Euijoo’s glorified babysitter. He was a grimey, 46 year old Japanese gangster who was heavily tattooed and had a deeply receding hairline. He always smelt of cigarettes, and would drink hard liquor until the point of complete inebriation. Euijoo usually had to call a cab for him by the end of the night, before he would pass out at the casino bar. He didn’t consider Isamu the ideal gambling partner in the slightest, but luckily, they were just here to launder money. 

The Tsukiyo Casino had deeply rooted ties to the Ryuji gang, which made it less risky to launder money there than at other casinos. Whenever they would visit, Euijoo would split some of the drug money he earned that week with Isamu. They would exchange that money for gambling chips, and spend the night betting on low risk games like Blackjack, Craps or Baccarat, trying to lose the least amount of money possible.

The winnings that got returned to Euijoo at the end of the night would finally be considered pure, clean money, which he would immediately hand over to Isamu. Isamu would bring it back to the gang, and then they’d come back to the casino the following week to repeat the process. 

As Euijoo waited for the next Blackjack game to begin, he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. He glanced over, face to face with a grinning Taki.

The Tsukiyo Casino was also where Euijoo first met Taki, nearly three years ago. Euijoo was twenty-two years old then, and Taki was 20. They had met while playing on the slot machines next to each other. Taki won big that night and had offered to buy Euijoo a drink. He swiftly compiled, and they spent the rest of that night chatting at the casino bar, as they found out they shared a lot of the same interests. 

Taki ended up becoming Euijoo’s first real friend in Japan, and when he met his roommate—Harua—he became his second. Three years later, Taki and Harua still believed Isamu was Euijoo’s uncle, and that they both had a serious gambling problem. 

“How's it going?” Taki asked him. 

“It’s going okay,” Euijoo shrugged, “How about you? Win anything?” 

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Taki whined, with a pained expression on his face.

“Taki…Harua’s going to be pissed if you can’t pay rent again this month,” Euijoo warned. 

“I know, I know. Trust me, I’ll win it all back,” Taki promised, waving his hand nonchalantly. 

Euijoo opened his mouth to protest, but he was already placing yen on the Blackjack table, joining the next game. 

The game began with the dealer divvying out everyone’s gambling chips. With a calculated flick of the wrist, he dealt two cards to each player. The overarching goal of Blackjack was for each individual player to beat the dealer. Whoever got closer to 21 points would be the winner. Euijoo looked down at his starting hand. He could see that he had a ten of Spades, and a four of Diamonds. This meant he had 14 total points so far. 

He glanced over at Isamu and Taki’s cards. Taki had 12 points, and Isamu had 18 points. The dealer placed his own two cards on the table, one card deliberately facing down. Euijoo could see that he had an Eight of Hearts.

Euijoo decided to hit, tapping his pointer finger down onto the Blackjack table. Noticing this gesture, the dealer abruptly dealt another card to him. The card was a Five of Spades, bringing him up to 19 total points. 

The game continued on until the dealer revealed his second card, which was a Queen of Diamonds. This brought him up to 18 points. 

Euijoo decided to stand on his next turn, which meant he kept his current hand at 19 points. He thought it was too risky to pull another card, since he could lose the game if he went over 21 points. This turned out to be a wise decision, since he ended up winning the round against the dealer, doubling his total winnings. Taki patted Euijoo on the back excitedly, congratulating him on his win. 

Euijoo and Isamu would stay at the Blackjack table for most of the night, playing the game over and over, until the money laundering job was done.

-

Later that night, Euijoo stood in front of the cashier's cage of the Tsukiyo Casino. He was waiting patiently as the woman behind the counter was counting out the 3 million in yen to return to him. 

Three million yen was usually the fixed amount Euijoo gambled with, seeing as this was the smallest amount that could be returned entirely in cash by the end of the night. Including Isamu’s share, they both laundered 6 million yen total in one night, all for the Ryuji gang.

As Euijoo waited, he heard the sound of Isamu’s leather loafers slapping on the marble floors of the casino. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the man approaching him. 

“Boss is telling me to shorten your leash,” Isamu told Euijoo. That was the first thing he had said to him all night. 

“Why?” Euijoo asked. 

He glanced over Isamu’s shoulder at where Taki stood a few feet away, making sure he couldn’t hear their discussion. Luckily, he wasn’t paying attention, as he was waiting for his own winnings at another one of the cashier’s cages. 

“He says you’re drifting away,” Isamu clarified, “And since you forgot we were supposed to meet tonight, I'd say he isn’t wrong.” 

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?” Euijoo snapped, “I’ve been doing as I’ve been told, so what's the issue?”

“Sometimes, simply following orders isn’t enough,” Isamu shrugged, “You know he wants you to join the gang—as our official lapdog.”

Euijoo felt his stomach turn uneasily. 

“I’m just here to pay off my father’s debt,” He firmly stated, “Then I’m done.”

“Do you really think they’ll let you off the hook after you pay off the debt?” Isamu snorted. 

Euijoo opened his mouth, but slowly closed it again, as no words came out.

As the casino’s cashier finished counting out the yen, they placed stacks of bills down on the counter. Euijoo quickly handed it all over to Isamu. 

“I’ll see you next week,” he muttered.

Isamu tapped his right temple, “Don’t forget,” he smirked, before walking away.

Euijoo could see that he was headed towards the casino bar. 

He let out a deep sigh, tension slowly releasing from his shoulders. He felt like he was finally starting to realize the severity of the situation he had entangled himself in. The Ryuji gang actually wanted him to join them. 

-

This is how the next few weeks would go for Euijoo: He’d get in contact with his usual clients to deal drugs, launder the drug money at Tsukiyo Casino with Isamu once a week, and would train with Nicholas three times a week.

As the weeks flew by, Euijoo could feel himself physically getting stronger. He still couldn’t touch Nicholas in a fight but their matches were starting to last longer. He was beginning to gain more stamina, and it took a bit more effort on Nicholas’ end to pin him down to the mat. 

That was how they ended up that Friday, during the third training session of the week, with Euijoo pinned under Nicholas to the gym mat. Nicholas’ hands were wrapped tightly around Euijoo’s wrists as he pushed them down, his legs straddling him, his breath fanning his face. The black tendrils of Nicholas’ bangs were hanging heavily in front of his eyes, as he stared down at Euijoo. They held this shared look between each other for a moment, before Nicholas broke contact. He chuckled softly, rolling over to sit next to Euijoo on the mat. 

Nicholas grabbed his water bottle from nearby, swiftly taking a sip. He capped it again, before saying, “You’ve been doing well, I’m actually a bit impressed.”

“Really?” Euijoo grinned, as he sat up abruptly.

“Don’t get too excited,” Nicholas snorted, punching Euijoo’s shoulder playfully, “You still haven’t been able to get a single hit on me.” 

Euijoo frowned, defeatedly, as he slumped back down onto the mat. They sat together in silence, for a moment, before Nicholas spoke up again.

“Still,” He began, slowly glancing over at Euijoo, “Maybe we could grab a bite to eat or something, as a reward. My treat.”

Euijoo gazed longingly at Nicholas. They’ve known each other for about a month now, but they never hung out with each other outside of these training sessions. Euijoo had only ever seen Nicholas at the gym or at the fight club. He tried to picture him at a restaurant, but his mind kept wandering back to that night he had first ever seen Nicholas, covered in blood and chest heaving. Euijoo swallowed the lump building in his throat.

“Uh…Sure,” He agreed, “I’d like that.” 

🍓🍊

Nicholas took Euijoo to a small hole in the wall noodle shop just a few blocks away from the gym. He would often eat lunch here with Fuma, Maki and Yuma—but being here with Euijoo, it felt different. It felt more intimate, somehow. 

He ordered them both the abura soba, and they took a seat at one of the tiny dining tables pressed up against the wall. The nice old woman that owned the shop placed two plastic cups full of ice water in front of them, before walking back into the kitchen. Euijoo was looking around, assessing their surroundings.

“What do you think?” Nicholas asked, as he subconsciously opened the paper wrapping on his straw, sticking it into his drink. 

“It’s nice,” Euijoo murmured, a small smile tugging at his lips, “I like it. It reminds me of my Mom’s place back at home, she owns a tea shop.”

Nicholas stared at Euijoo, mouth slightly agape as his hand wrapped tightly around his cup of water. The man that currently sat across from him was so frustratingly tightlipped, Nicholas barely knew anything about him. This was the first thing Euijoo willingly told him about himself. Nicholas decided then that he would store this small tidbit about him into the deepest recesses of his mind, for safekeeping. 

“What?” Euijoo asked him, noticing Nicholas’ awestruck face.

“I just didn’t know that about—“ Nicholas quickly cleared his throat, “I didn’t know your Mom owned a teashop.” 

Euijoo grimaced, “Yeah, I guess we don’t know much about each other, huh?”

“Wrong,” Nicholas corrected him, “You know my friends, my job and even what I do for kicks. I don’t know anything about you.”

Euijoo's cheeks flushed, as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, “I’m sorry, what exactly would you like to know?”

“Well, I guess, for starters…” Nicholas muttered, deep in thought, “What do you do for work?” 

Euijoo hesitated, before responding, “I’m a Korean tutor.”

“Mm…” Nicholas softly hummed. He placed the plastic straw into the corner of his mouth, as he took a contemplative sip of his water. He swallowed, before saying, “I see why you need money then.” 

“Wow,” Euijoo scoffed, “Could you be any more out of line?”

“I’m just saying,” Nicholas shrugged, “Tutoring doesn’t seem like the most prosperous form of income.” 

Before Euijoo could respond, the shop owner placed two steaming bowls of noodles in front of them. Nicholas thanked her, before grabbing his pair of wooden chopsticks and snapping them into two.

They both ate in silence for a while, before Nicholas spoke up again, “So, you came all the way to Japan, just to be a Korean tutor?” 

“I just…I had my own reasons for coming here, okay?” Euijoo sighed. 

His eyes wandered aimlessly, avoiding Nicholas’ watchful gaze. Some things about Euijoo just weren’t adding up in Nicholas’ mind, but he decided to drop the subject. He could sense that Euijoo was retreating back into his shell of reclusivity. Nicholas wished he could crawl up in there with him and find out what he was hiding. He wished he could make him understand that he could trust him. 

They finished eating their meal, and despite Euijoo’s protests to split the bill, Nicholas paid it, “I said it was my treat, didn’t I?”

They left the noodle shop and started the walk back to the gym to collect their things. It was starting to get dark out, as it was nearing 8pm. There was a cool summer breeze, and the nostalgic song of cicadas filled the air. 

“Is it okay if I ask you something?” Euijoo asked, softly. 

“Anything, I’m an open book,” Nicholas replied.

“Why did you start fighting?” Euijoo began. He lowered his voice, as he clarified, “In the fight club, I mean.”

Nicholas sighed, “It’s not a particularly fun story or anything.”

Euijoo just stared at him, expectantly, as they continued to walk side by side. 

“Well, I grew up in Taiwan,” Nicholas started to share, “My Mom left when I was young, so I was raised by my Dad. He liked to blow off steam like me, I guess, because I was basically his walking punching bag. As soon as I turned 18, I was done with his bullshit, so I moved here, got a work visa, and have been living here ever since. Back then, I was such an angry, stupid kid that would try and fight anyone for just about any reason at all. When I was about 22 years old, one of the club heads saw me fight, and told me that I should fight at the club. I needed money, so I joined. And the rest is history.” 

Euijoo watched him intently, nodding along as he told him his background, “I’m sorry, no kid should have to go through that.”

“Yeah, it’s whatever. It’s fine, since I kind of made my own family. Yuma, Maki, Yudai and Fuma, they’re like my family, I guess,” Nicholas explained, “I’m guessing you still have family back in Korea.”

“Yeah,” Euijoo nodded, “my mom and sister. We talk on the phone sometimes, on holidays and such, but it’s been hard being away from them.”

“I mean, completely understandable,” Nicholas affirmed, “Speaking of family…you should join us tomorrow. Maki and Yuma both have a boxing competition and you should come watch. You might learn a thing or two.”

Nicholas watched as Euijoo pondered this, deep in thought. He for sure thought he was going to say no and make up some dumb excuse on why he couldn’t come, but instead he asked, “Can I bring some friends?”

🍓🍊

Euijoo pushed his way through the crowd of people, as they waited for the next boxing match to begin. He could feel Taki tightly clutching the hem of his shirt, as he and Harua followed closely behind him.

Euijoo’s eyes scanned the sea of unfamiliar faces, looking for Nicholas. He saw him waving him down from where he sat on the bleachers. Euijoo climbed the metal stairs, two steps at a time, as he approached where Nicholas was seated. He was sitting next to Jo, and a handsome stranger that he guessed was Yudai. 

“You actually came,” Nicholas grinned, patting the cool metal of the bleachers next to him.

“I said I would,” Euijoo chuckled, as he took a seat, “These are my friends, Taki and Harua, by the way.” 

“Hi, I’m Nico,” Nicholas said, holding out a hand for them to shake.

Taki and Harua just stared at him, silent and motionless. Euijoo couldn’t help but notice that Taki looked a bit faint.

Euijoo quickly cupped Nicholas’ ear with his right hand, as he whispered, “They kind of know who you are already.”

“Oh,” He responded, shyly. A bright pink tinged his cheeks. 

They continued on with the rest of their introductions, which mostly involved Yudai, since Harua and Taki knew Jo already. They took a seat next to Euijoo on the bleachers, and Harua firmly grabbed Taki’s hand, pulling it into his lap. After they were settled, Euijoo finally began to assess his surroundings, observing the crowd and the boxing ring that stood before them. 

He could see Fuma chatting with Yuma, who stood on one end of the ring, as he was strapping on his boxing gloves. Yuma was shirtless, allowing for Euijoo to see how toned and muscular he really was. He donned a pair of black and white boxing shorts, and bright red boxing gloves. 

“Is that Yuma?” Harua asked Euijoo, as he leant over Taki, who sat squished between them. He said the next part in a barely hushed whisper, “He’s cute.”

“Uh…yeah, that's him,” Euijoo replied. He could see Harua glancing at Taki as he sat back, but Taki’s own gaze was entirely focused on Yuma. 

Euijoo watched as Fuma placed a mouthguard into Yuma’s mouth since the match was about to begin. He pounded his boxing gloves together, as he waited for the whistle of the referee to signify the start of the match. The shrill whistle rang out, and the boxers began to pace around the ring, mirroring each other’s movements. 

Euijoo couldn’t help but think about how this all seemed so similar to the fight club, but also so very different. There was protection from the gloves, mouth guard and padded flooring of the ring. There were also actual structured rules to keep the boxers in line. There were no raw, bare knuckles coming into contact with an opponent’s face. No hardened concrete to smash them down into. There seemed to be no real risk in Euijoo’s mind, which made this all seem very dull to him. He thought about Nicholas again—bloodied and heaving over his opponent—and felt heat pooling into his belly. 

As Euijoo watched the boxing match, he decided the best way to describe Yuma’s agility and fighting style was to compare it to that of a cat. He would dodge left and right, avoiding his opponents punches, swift and light on his feet. It was entertaining to watch, his confidence apparent as he began to taunt his opponent. His opponent just appeared to be growing more frustrated by the second, losing his cool as Yuma dodged his attacks and crawled under his skin. With his opponent’s lack of focus and rhythm, Yuma was able to uppercut him, knocking him off balance. He then was able to punch him again, one, two, three more times. 

“Go Yuma!” Yudai cried, clapping his hands together loudly. The rest of the group joined in, cheering him on.

The cries of support seemed to just egg Yuma on further. He was able to punch his opponent again, even harder this time, as he was knocked to the ground. The crowd roared, but disappointment was imminent, as his opponent slowly pushed himself back to his feet a moment later. Despite this, Yuma kept his cool, seemingly excited that the fight wasn’t over just yet. He continued on with his stealthy and agile approach.

“He’s really good,” Taki muttered, as he watched the man in the ring with complete and utter focus.

Euijoo was about to agree, but he suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He felt a sense of dread creep in. He knew it was his burner phone, since the vibration was coming from where he had placed it in his front left pocket. The Ryuji gang always seemed to have the absolute worst timing. He tried to quietly excuse himself to the restroom, but Nicholas firmly grasped his wrist.

“Where are you going?” He asked. He was staring at Euijoo intensely, with that familiar dark look that always made his heart feel like it was trying to burst out of his chest. 

“Just to the bathroom,” Euijoo said, “I’ll be right back.” 

Nicholas slowly let go of his wrist, allowing him to escape down the bleacher stairs. He pushed open the heavy metal doors that led into the empty hallway, and walked swiftly over to the men’s restroom. He locked himself into one of the bathroom stalls, before flipping open the burner phone. 

Drop tonight. Behind Tsukiyo Casino. 9pm sharp. Be there.

Another drop. He was running low on his supply, so he should’ve expected this. Euijo sighed deeply and let out a thick curse in Korean. It was 8:30 pm, meaning he had to leave now. He didn’t want to. He wanted to watch the rest of Yuma’s match. He wanted to watch Maki’s. He so badly wanted to stay. But he knew that wasn’t an option. He buried his phone back into his pocket and exited the stall. 

He walked over to the row of sinks, placing his hands firmly onto the cold granite countertop. What was he going to tell Nicholas? He would read straight through any lie that Euijoo would use to excuse himself. 

He decided then that he would just have to leave without telling him anything. It was the safest choice. But as he exited the bathroom, he bumped into something solid and heavy. He took a few steps back, before realizing it was none other than the one man he was trying to avoid. 

“Oh…hey,” Euijoo muttered. He could feel blood rushing to his cheeks, flushing them a deep red.

“Hey, I just wanted to check up on you,” Nicholas said, before his lips turned downwards into a frown, “Are you leaving?”

“Uh…yeah, I am,” Euijoo grimaced, “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s fine, Euijoo. Can you just at least tell me where you are going?” He asked. 

Euijoo sighed, “I can’t, Nico, I’m really sorry. I just—I can’t.” 

He began to walk towards the exit, but felt Nicholas grasp his shoulder firmly. He glanced over at him, seeing that he was visibly upset. His mouth was pressed firmly into a straight line, and his eyebrows were drawn together into a hardened look of contempt.

“Why can’t you just tell me?” He asked, “I don’t understand, why do you keep running away?”

“I’m not running away,” Euijoo promised, “I just have to go. I’ll call you later, okay?”

Nicholas reluctantly released his grip on his shoulder and Euijoo turned towards the exit. When he pushed open the heavy exit door, he could hear Nicholas speak up from behind him.

“Euijoo, please, just tell me,” Nicholas begged, “Are you in any sort of danger?”

Euijoo just glanced back at him, his eyes meeting Nicholas’ longing gaze, “I’ll call you later, I promise.”

🍓🍊

Nicholas sat on his couch at his apartment later that evening, watching mindlessly as Maki and Yuma played some game on his Playstation 5. He kept checking his phone periodically for any calls from Euijoo, but it was nearly midnight and he still hadn’t received any contact from his end. He was worried.

“Nico,” Maki tapped his foot gently from where he sat on the floor, “Are you okay?”

“He’s fine,” Yuma yawned, brushing off Maki’s worries with the slight wave of his hand, “He’s just waiting for a call from his stupid boyfriend.” 

Nicholas felt the tight, viselike grip around his heart ease a little bit, as he kicked Yuma from where he sat on the other side of the couch. 

“He’s not my boyfriend,” He hissed, “We’re just friends.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Yuma smirked, and stretched his arms over his head. He let out a soft groan, before saying, “His one friend is fucking hot though. That guy we met after the competition, what’s his name? Taki?” 

“Yeah, Taki,” Nicholas affirmed. 

He was somewhat relieved by the distraction of his friends. He was finally able to put his phone down for a few seconds. 

“I think he’s taken though, Yuma,” Maki stated, “that guy with him was almost like, physically attached to him by the hip.”

“Hasn’t stopped me before,” Yuma shrugged, grabbing a gummy from one of the bags of snacks surrounding them. He popped it into his mouth, “I got his contact info, so maybe it's an open relationship.”

“When did you even have time to do that?” Nicholas snorted, “We didn’t chat very long.”

“Probably when you were checking your phone for the millionth time for a call from Euijoo,” Maki giggled, and Yuma leaned over so they could high five.

Nicholas groaned, “Why did I invite you guys over again?” 

Maki guffawed, “Because you love us, duh.”

They went back to playing their game, and Nicholas went back to checking his phone. He had worked up the courage to restrain himself to checking it once every other minute, when he suddenly felt it start vibrating from where it lay on his chest. He jumped up, seeing Euijoo’s contact lighting up his screen. 

“I gotta take this,” He muttered, before excusing himself to his bedroom. 

“Hello?” He answered. 

“Hey, I wasn’t sure if you’d still be up,” Euijoo responded cheerfully on the other line. Nicholas felt relief wash over him like a wave. 

“Yeah, I kind of couldn’t sleep,” He chuckled, “How are you?” 

“I’m good, I just thought I’d check in,” Euijoo replied, “I’m sorry about earlier, Nico. I’m sorry if I made you worried or anything.”

“Oh, no, no. Trust me, I totally forgot about it until now,” Nicholas lied. 

As he held his phone up to his ear, he paced around his bedroom. His hands were running through his hair and a dumb grin was etched onto his face. God, he was so totally fucked. 

“Oh, well, that’s good,” Euijoo replied, “How did Yuma and Maki’s matches go? Did they both win?”

Nicholas paused for a moment, building up the courage for what he asked next, “I know it’s late, but do you want to come over? I can tell you all about it then.”

He was met with silence on the other end, and he thought for a second that he totally blew whatever they possibly had going on. God, he felt like such an idiot. 

“Sure,” Euijoo finally replied, squashing Nicholas’ worries, “Can you send me your address?”

Nicholas felt his stomach do a backflip, “Yeah, one second.” 

His hands shook as he abruptly typed out his address and hit send. 

“Awesome, I’ll see you soon.” Euijoo said, and they hung up. 

Nicholas stood there for a moment, thinking about what he had just done. He had invited Euijoo over to his apartment. He didn’t know what other signals a proposal like that could send other than the obvious connotation. He started cleaning up his room, when he remembered Yuma and Maki were still in his living room. 

He exited his bedroom quietly, shutting the door with a soft click. Yuma and Maki were still playing video games, chattering and giggling with each other.

“How’d it go?” Maki asked, as he saw Nicholas exit his bedroom. 

“Uh…good,” Nicholas replied, “He’s coming over, actually.”

“No fucking way,” Yuma scoffed, “‘Just friends my fucking ass.” 

“Shut up,” Nicholas hissed, coming up from behind the couch to rustle Yuma’s hair. Yuma whined, as he attempted to stop Nicholas to no avail. 

“You guys do need to leave though,” Nicholas winced, “Sorry.” 

“Hey, no problem,” Maki said, as he stood up and dusted off his sweatpants, “We’ll see you at practice tomorrow, right?”

“Yep,” Nicholas nodded.

“Just be careful, wear protection and all that,” Yuma smirked, as he and Maki made their way towards the front door. 

“Get out,” Nicholas growled, as he chased them playfully out of his apartment.

After he could no longer hear their chatter down the hallway, he turned around, assessing the damage to his apartment. He definitely needed to start cleaning. 

🍓🍊

Euijoo approached Nicholas’ apartment and rapped his knuckles softly on the stained hardwood door.

Nicholas’ apartment building was way nicer than his own, but still more modest than what Euijoo had been expecting. He could hear movement on the other side of the door, and Nicholas opened it with ease.

“Hey,” He grinned, “Come in.” 

Euijoo traipsed inside, and kicked off his sneakers by the shoe rack next to the front door. The inside of Nicholas’ apartment was equally as modest as the apartment building he lived in.

He had a couch, a wooden coffee table, a large flatscreen tv mounted to the wall and a sleek black entertainment center. But that was about it for furniture. He didn’t even have a dining table. Despite this, it was still way nicer than Euijoo’s 400 square foot studio apartment. 

“Do you want anything to eat? Or drink?” Nicholas asked, “I can order something, or I have some leftover pizza I can heat up real quick.”

“That’s okay, I ate earlier,” Euijoo said, and gestured towards his couch, “Do you mind if I sit?” 

Nicholas shook his head quickly, “Not at all.”

Euijoo slumped down onto the couch, letting out a deep sigh. Nicholas sat down on the other side.

“So…” He muttered, “What do you think of my place so far?”

“It's nice,” Euijoo said, “Way nicer than my own apartment, and bigger too. I live in a studio.”

“Hm...” Nicholas nodded, “I’m sure it's not as bad as you think, I’d definitely like to see it sometime.”

Euijoo realized this was an open suggestion, and quickly responded, “Yeah, maybe sometime.”

He didn’t pay for his own place, as it was lent out to him as he worked under the Ryuji Gang. His landlord was a part of the gang. This was so they could easily keep tabs on him and know whether or not he was home.

It would be way too dangerous if he brought Nicholas there. They would definitely notice, and Euijoo would try everything in his power to keep him from seeing that side of him. He wanted to keep him safe. He wanted him to stay untainted by the Ryuji gang. 

“Euijoo, are you okay?” Nicholas asked softly.

Euijoo hadn’t realized that he was clenching his fists tightly in his lap, his nails digging into his palm. Nicholas reached over and grabbed one of his hands, cradling it softly between his own. He noticed that his hands were much bigger than his own, covering his hand completely. 

“I’m okay,” He mumbled, “just scared, I guess.”

“Of what?” Nicholas asked. 

“I don’t know…of hurting you?” Euijoo replied, he could feel tears welling up in his eyes, “I’ve never been this scared before.”

Nicholas snorted, “How could you hurt me? I’m ten times stronger than you.”

“It’s not that—It’s…there’s just some things you don’t know about me,” He explained.

“I’d like to know,” Nicholas reassured him, “Euijoo, please tell me. Take some of this weight off your shoulders and give it to me, please. I promise I can take it.”

“I can’t…” Euijoo softly muttered, as tears began streaming down his round cheeks, “I’m sorry.”

Nicholas swiftly pulled Euijoo towards him, allowing him to bury his face into his chest. He aptly comforted him, running his fingers softly through his hair. This helped calm Euijoo down, his cries turning into soft whimpers as his face was buried into the warm cotton of Nicholas’ sweatshirt. 

“I’m sorry for crying,” Euijoo said, pushing himself away. He sniffled, and rubbed the remaining tears away with the palm of his hand.

“It’s okay,” Nicholas softly replied, as his own hand shot up to stroke Euijoo’s face gently. 

His thumb rubbed away the wetness under his eyes, before tracing the curve of his jaw. His thumb ran across his pouted bottom lip. Euijoo could feel his heart racing by the tenderness of this touch. When Nicholas finally drew his hand away, he felt an aching sense of longing within his chest.

“I’ll get you some water,” Nicholas said, as he stood up. 

Euijoo nodded, as he watched Nicholas walk over towards the kitchen sink. He turned away to grasp at his chest, trying to calm his racing heart. He slowly ran his own thumb over his bottom lip, where it still tingled from Nicholas’ touch. 

“Here, drink,” Nicholas ordered, handing Euijoo a cool glass of water.

He did as he was told, taking a few drawn out sips of water. Nicholas plopped back down on the couch, and began rubbing circles into Euijoo’s back. He watched as he drank and regained his composure.

“Better?” Nicholas asked him, as Euijoo placed his glass onto one of the coasters on the coffee table. 

“Yeah, better,” Euijoo sighed, “I’m sorry again.”

“Don’t apologize,” Nicholas said, “whatever is going on with you seems to be some pretty heavy stuff. I’m not going to push you to tell me, but I hope one day you will feel comfortable enough to.” 

“Yeah,” Euijoo muttered, as he closed his eyes.

He just sat there for a while, as Nicholas continued to trace circles into his back, “I know you wanted to keep things strictly professional between us. I think I ruined that by coming here tonight.”

Nicholas chuckled, “Trust me, things between us breached that line a long time ago. Don’t forget that I was the one who invited you here.”

Euijoo opened his eyes and glanced over at Nicholas. He wondered if he could feel it too. The longing gazes and the gentle touches between each other. The way even the simplest words or actions by Nicholas made Euijoo’s heart feel like it was going to explode out of his chest. He wanted nothing more than to go further with this, but he kept thinking about the risk.

They didn’t only have the fight club hanging over their heads, but also the Ryuji gang. If they found out Nicholas was more than just a trainer to Euijoo, he knew he’d be putting him in the direct line of danger. 

They shared a look between each other, hungry and waiting, before they both spoke up in unison:

“Can I kiss you?” Nicholas asked. 

“I should go,” Euijoo said. 

Euijoo accidentally let out a small gasp when he realized what Nicholas had just asked him. 

Nicholas looked horrified, “Oh god, yeah. Forget what I just said, I think I’m totally high or drunk or whatever.”

Euijoo opened his mouth to respond, but Nicholas was already retreating to his bedroom, “Goodnight, Euijoo. I’ll see you on Monday.” 

He heard the bedroom door close with a soft click, and he was alone. 

🍓🍊

Sometimes, Nicholas was thankful for the fightclub. He enjoyed the club, for sure, the money he earned there allowed him to live comfortably. But he was never thankful for it, not until the few times he felt like a tightly wound rubber band just waiting for release. 

That’s how he felt that Sunday night, as he waited for his match to begin. The tension and frustration he felt was bottled up inside him like a water balloon waiting to burst. Just with one simple, stupid question, he felt like he ruined everything with Euijoo. He went too far. He read the signals wrong. Where he thought he saw a green light, Euijoo saw red. 

Euijoo had texted him a few times that morning, checking in and seeing if he was okay, but Nicholas ignored him. He’d see him on Monday, where he could pretend like nothing even happened. 

As Nicholas was warming up for his fight, Fuma seemed to notice he was upset, “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” He replied. 

“Are you sure?” Fuma asked, “Yuma and Maki mentioned that Euijoo came over last night.” 

“I said I’m fine, Fuma,” Nicholas reassured him.

Fuma just nodded, seemingly unconvinced, but he dropped the subject, “You’re fighting Tadashi again tonight. Do you remember what I told you about him last time?”

Nicholas was surprised to find out he was fighting Tadashi again, but knew it was probably because the club heads were unhappy with their last match. Being veteran fighters, a cheap, five minute match was heavily frowned upon. 

“Yeah, favors his left leg, right?” Nicholas recalled. 

“Yep, and he’s probably pissed you beat him so quickly last time, so I’d keep your guard up,” Fuma said, “But you got this, you could use a heated match to your advantage.”

Nicholas nodded. The referee’s whistle rang out, signifying the end of one match, and the preparation of another. He took his spot in the ring and Fuma gave him the usual pep-talk. 

“Despite whatever is going on with you, you got this, okay?” He reassured him, squeezing his shoulders. 

“Nothing is going on with me,” Nicholas lied.

Fuma raised a brow, seeing straight through Nicholas’ lie, but patted him on the back anyway, “Good luck, Nico.” 

Nicholas placed his hands on his thighs, staring down Tadashi from the other side of the ring. The match began with a shrill whistle, and he got into a defensive position. 

Tadashi was definitely on the offensive this time, his ego obviously damaged by the results of their last match. Despite this, Nicholas was stuable to avoid his attacks and attempts to corner him quite easily. 

The match had drawn on longer than their last one at this point, just with Nicholas dodging attacks. He could tell Tadashi was beginning to lose stamina, as he slowed down slightly. This was the benefit of fighting against an opponent who had a vendetta, they got too wrapped up in their emotions.

Nicholas used this to his advantage by using Tadashi’s split second delay in reaction. He dodged another punch by him, before swiftly uppercutting his jaw, making first contact. The crowd roared as Tadashi stumbled back. When he realized what had happened, he looked furious. He lunged at Nicholas, who easily dodged him once again. 

“Go Nico!” someone cried from within the crowd.

Nicholas recognized that voice. He glanced over, his eyes landing on Taki, who was waving excitedly. He felt his heart drop when he saw Euijoo standing beside him.

What was he doing here? He thought to himself. But before his brain could even run through the endless possibilities on why, his vision blacked out. 

Nicholas woke up a few seconds later. He could feel warmth stemming from his nose and mouth. He absentmindedly wiped his face with the back of his hand, glancing down at where it was covered in something wet and sticky. It took him a second to process that it was his own blood. Ah, so that's where the warmth was coming from.

Nicholas quickly spit blood onto the ground, as he pushed himself up onto his feet. As he stood up, he noticed that the room was spinning. He stumbled, before he felt someone wrapping an arm around his waist, supporting him. He was swiftly led away from the ring. He hadn’t even noticed that the match was over. He caught a glimpse of Tadashi celebrating his win.

“Nico, are you okay?” He heard the person next to him mutter into his ear. He glanced over, seeing that it was Euijoo. 

“Euijoo,” Nicholas mumbled. His head felt fuzzy, and he didn’t feel entirely in control of his own actions. He reached his hand over to cradle Euijoo’s face. 

“Euijoo, you’re here.” He smiled, weakly. Nicholas’ hand left a streak of red on Euijoo’s cheek, stained by his own blood.

The name that left Euijoo’s mouth wasn’t his own,  “Fuma.” 

Fuma had approached them, a look of concern etched onto his face, “Yudai’s waiting outside, he can help. Follow me.”

They followed Fuma through the crowd as he led them towards the back exit of the warehouse. He held the exit door open, allowing Euijoo to guide Nicholas outside.

🍓🍊

As Euijoo led Nicholas outside, Yudai ran over from where he leant against the brick wall of the warehouse, “What happened?”

“He got knocked out for a bit,” Fuma explained, “I think he has a concussion.”

Yudai nodded, before saying, “Here, wipe the blood off him and help him sit down.”

He handed Euijoo a towel, “I need to check his injuries first, then I’ll screen him for a concussion.” 

Taki and Euijoo helped Nicholas sit down on the ground. Euijoo began wiping the blood and dirt off Nicholas’ face, as Yudai was bandaging his busted knuckles.

“Fuma, how’d this even happen?” Yudai asked, glancing over at him.

“Uh…” Fuma hesitated, as he looked over at Euijoo. They shared a look between each other. 

Yudai must’ve noticed, as he shot a glance towards Euijoo, “Forget it,” he mumbled.

Nicholas was dozing off from where he sat leant up against the brick wall of the warehouse. His head was lulling back and forth. 

“Nico, I need you to stay awake, okay?” Yudai said, shaking his shoulder lightly, “Euijoo, can you talk to him? Keep him conscious.” 

“Uh…yeah,” Euijoo nodded, before sitting down next to Nicholas and jostling him slightly, “Nico...”

“Euijoo...” Nicholas muttered. His eyes were closed, but his face twisted into a grimace, “Why are you here?” 

“I texted you this morning, but you didn’t respond,” Euijoo said, “Taki told me the fight club was meeting tonight, so I decided I’d come and see if you were fighting.” 

“Why?”

“I was worried about you, after last night…” Euijoo explained. 

Euijoo saw Taki waving his hand, as he tried to grasp his attention. He glanced over at him, and saw him mouthing the words, “What happened?” He ignored him.

Nicholas' eyes shot open, before he mumbled, “Last night…”

Euijoo noticed that he looked alarmingly pale. Yudai suddenly let out a cry, jumping back, as Nicholas keeled over and threw up onto the ground in front of him. Euijoo placed a hand firmly on his back, as he continued to shake from the exertion of upturning the contents of his stomach.

“Okay, so he definitely has a concussion, right?”  Taki asked, glancing over at Yudai.

Yudai nodded, looking down at Nicholas pitifully. 

“I’ll call a cab,” Fuma sighed, as he pulled out his phone. 

“He’ll need someone to stay with him for a few days, to monitor his condition,” Yudai stated. Euijoo noticed he was staring directly at him. 

“You want me to stay with him?” He asked.

“I mean, it’s the least you could do,” Yudai shrugged, as he crossed his arms across his chest. 

“Yudai…” Fuma chided. 

“No, he's right,” Euijoo said. 

He felt like what happened tonight was mostly, if not entirely, his fault. Him being here obviously distracted Nicholas, allowing for Tadashi to knock him out. It might as well have been Euijoo out in the ring, punching Nicholas in the face. It would’ve had about the same effect.

“I’ll stay with him.”

Chapter Text

By the time Nicholas and Euijoo got back to his apartment, it was nearly midnight.

Nicholas was starting to feel more lucid than he had back at the fightclub. He paced himself as he slowly made his way up the stairwell to his place, without Euijoo’s help.

“You don’t have to stay,” Nicholas said, as soon as Euijoo closed the front door, “I’ve nursed my own concussions before. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Don’t start, Nico,” Euijoo firmly stated, “I want to stay.”

Nicholas was too exhausted to argue with him any further. He was still covered in dirt and blood, and he could tell that he had a mild fever from his concussion. His entire body felt warm. He decided to take a cold shower, hoping that would help cool him down a bit.

As he showered, Euijoo waited outside the bathroom door, just in case Nicholas passed out. Luckily, he was able to stay conscious. The cool water that ran over him helped him feel rejuvenated. He felt a bit better after cleaning up, and putting on fresh clothing.

Nicholas let out a groan as he slumped down onto the couch. His head was still pounding. It felt like his brain was trying to rupture through his skull. Euijoo handed him some pills to help with the pain, and Nicholas swallowed them dryly.

“So, what do you want to do?” Euijoo asked, “Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat.”

“Mm…I’m not hungry right now,” Nicholas grimaced. Even just the thought of food made his stomach turn.

Euijoo nodded, contemplating, as he looked around Nicholas’ apartment. His eyes seemed to catch on something in Nicholas’ entertainment center. He walked over, slowly, before grabbing one of the books that sat within. He turned the book over and read the cover.

“When my younger sister would get sick, I used to read to her,” Euijoo said, locking eyes with Nicholas, “Do you want me to read to you?”

“Uh…sure,” Nicholas choked out. He quickly cleared his throat, “ I mean, why not.”

He shifted over on the couch to make room for him.

Euijoo sat down in the empty spot, molding himself snugly into the hollow space next to Nicholas. As he made himself comfortable, he pulled Nicholas over to him gently, allowing him to lay his head on his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Nicholas asked, but Euijoo shushed him.

He cracked the book open and began to read, gently brushing his fingers through Nicholas’ soft, black hair. The novel he picked out was “No Longer Human” by Osamu Dazai. A strange choice, but interesting nonetheless.

Euijoo read slowly, since Japanese wasn’t his first language, and Nicholas hung on to his every word. He could feel his eyelids growing heavy, as exhaustion overtook him.

Despite the pounding within Nicholas’ skull, he thought everything in this moment felt so perfect: Euijoo’s tender voice as he read to him, his fingers running through his hair, the smell of his detergent coming from where Nicholas laid his head on his shoulder. So goddamned perfect. Not being able to fight off his exhaustion any longer, he swiftly dozed off.

-

Nicholas woke up a few hours later, with his head lying in Euijoo’s lap. He could still feel fingers carding through his hair. He glanced up at him. He saw that he was looking at his phone, scrolling with his free hand.

“What time is it?” Nicholas asked, his voice sounding hoarse from sleep.

Euijoo clicked off his phone and smiled down at Nicholas, “Good morning. It’s 3AM.”

Nicholas gasped, “You let me sleep on you for 3 hours?”

He abruptly pushed himself off Euijoo’s lap, “You should have woke me up.”

“I guess I should have, but you just looked so peaceful, for once,” Euijoo chuckled, “I thought you needed some rest, so I let you sleep.”

Nicholas let out a groan, running a hand through his hair as he looked for his phone. After some rummaging, he was able to find it buried between the couch cushions.

Euijoo watched him. He had a look on his face that Nicholas could only describe as complete and utter fondness. He could feel heat tingling up the back of his neck.

“Do you feel any better?” Euijoo asked him.

“A bit better, yeah,” Nicholas responded, “I still have a killer headache, but feel a little less drained at least.”

“That’s good,” Euijoo replied, with a curt nod, “I was researching on how to treat a concussion, and it seems like it's best to avoid any training or other physical activity for now. You should just focus on resting and recovering.”

“I know,” Nicholas snorted, “I said that I’ve dealt with my own concussions before, remember?”

“I remember,” Euijoo nodded, with a small smile, “but luckily, you have me this time, to nurse you back to health.”

“Oh great,” Nicholas sarcastically remarked, “then I’m totally fucked.”

Euijoo scoffed, pushing him playfully. They giggled together like school children, before Nicholas noticed a serious look of recognition flash across Euijoo’s face.

Nicholas could feel tension fill the air, before Euijoo spoke up, “I wanted to say I’m sorry, Nico. About last night.”

Nicholas felt his heart drop. He wished he could just forget about what happened last night.

“Why are you sorry?” He asked, “You can’t control your feelings. If you don’t like me, it’s fine, I’ll get over it.”

Nicholas saw Euijoo hesitate, as he fidgeted uncomfortably from where he sat on the couch. He watched him swallow hard, his tongue running across his bottom lip. His eyes met Nicholas’ gaze, giving him a long, drawn out look of acknowledgment.

Nicholas felt his breath catch in his throat. Oh. Oh no.

“But I do like you,” Euijoo confessed, in a hushed whisper.

After he uttered these words, Nicholas felt his stomach turn. He felt his heart clench tightly within his chest. He felt like he was going to be sick again. He took a deep, wavering breath, as he tried to keep a cool composure.

“Oh, I see,” Nicholas muttered, “And what are you going to do about it?”

Euijoo groaned, before burying his face in his hands.

“That’s the thing, I don’t know,” He cried softly, “I’m scared, Nico. I already fucked things up tonight with you, obviously, I mean now you have a concussion. And there's some serious shit going on in my life that I don’t want to involve you in.”

“Shit, Euijoo,” Nicholas sighed, pulling his hands away so he could see his face, “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t care. My concussion? Whatever that ‘serious shit’ you’re involved in is? I don’t give a fuck. I want to be involved. I want this, I want you.”

Euijoo parted his lips slightly, looking down at where their fingers were intertwined in his lap. Nicholas could tell he was thinking of what to say next.

“I want you too,” He settled on saying.

Nicholas groaned, frustrated and impatient, “Then will you just fucking kiss me already?”

This seemed to give Euijoo that extra push, as he nodded. He chuckled nervously as he pulled Nicholas over to him.

Their lips first met in a partial embrace, hesitant but eager at first. It felt awkward, teeth clacking as their lips slotted together, trying to find their rhythm. Nervous giggles rang out between the two, as they broke away for a second, before keenly meeting once again.

Euijoo’s slender fingers tickled Nicholas’ jaw as they ran up to cup his face, deepening the kiss. His tongue ran slowly across his bottom lip, asking for entrance. Nicholas graciously complied, parting his lips and letting out a soft sigh. His own fingers were running hurriedly through Euijoo’s brown hair, tugging at the strands as he pulled the man down on top of him.

Their legs awkwardly tangled together as Euijoo lay on top of Nicholas. His left hand was gripping the arm of the couch, supporting himself, as his other was cupping his face. Euijoo hummed as his tongue licked the inside of Nicholas’ mouth. The plush softness of his mouth was devouring him whole.

Nicholas’ own hands ran freely under the hem of Euijoo’s t-shirt, his fingertips tracing the expanse of his torso. He shivered on top of him, letting out a soft moan into Nicholas’ mouth. It made a flame ignite in the pit of Nicholas' stomach with a heated burst. God, he never wanted this to end.

Since he met Euijoo, Nicholas had imagined this exact scenario hundreds of times, running it over and over again in his mind. No matter how many times he imagined it, he hadn’t expected their first kiss to be this passionate. He was expecting it to be sweet and tender maybe, but not like this. Not like they were trying to swallow each other whole. Honestly, he wasn’t complaining. His entire body had been aching for this for so long.

They were both panting and gasping for air by the time Euijoo pushed himself away. Nicholas gazed up at the man that laid on top of him, admiring his post makeout glow. His eyelids looked heavy and his pupils were blown out. His lips were swollen and glistening from a warm mixture of spit and sweat. Nicholas thought he looked so fucking hot.

Euijoo panted over him, “That was…”

“Awesome?” Nicholas snorted.

Euijoo let out a burst of laughter, his forehead dropping onto Nicholas’ chest. He then pushed himself away to sit on the other side of the couch. Nicholas could see the bulge in Euijoo’s sweatpants, and quickly tore his eyes away, feeling flustered. Euijoo didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he just didn’t care.

“As much as I would like to continue, I’m exhausted,” Euijoo sighed, “And I’m not sure if making out counts as physical activity, which you should be avoiding.”

Nicholas laughed, before sitting up and placing a quick peck on Euijoo’s lips, “Come on then, you can sleep in my bed.”

“Are you sure? I’d be fine sleeping on the couch,” Euijoo softly muttered.

Nicholas groaned, “Euijoo, we just made out, and you’re worried about sleeping in my bed?”

🍓🍊

Euijoo woke up later that morning, with his arms cradling Nicholas tightly. He wasn’t sure when he reached for him in the night, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Nicholas must have felt him stir next to him, because he swiftly turned in Euijoo’s arms to glance over at him, “Good morning,” He grinned.

“‘Morning,” Euijoo muttered, before gently placing a kiss on Nicholas’ forehead.

Nicholas smirked, before crawling on top of Euijoo and straddling him in an instant. He pinned him down to the bed as he gave him a deep, passionate good morning kiss.

“Ugh, morning breath,” Euijoo groaned, before pinching his nose.

Nicholas scoffed, before slapping him softly on the chest. He crawled off the bed and walked over to the bathroom. Euijoo heard him turn the sink on, as he started brushing his teeth.

“Are you hungry? I could make you breakfast,” Euijoo called after him.

A moment later, he heard Nicholas spit and turn the water off, before responding, “Uh—sure, I don’t have much to eat here though.”

Euijoo pushed himself out of bed and made his way over to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, where he was able to see a half carton full of eggs, a gallon of milk, scallions, and some leftover takeout containers. Nicholas was right, he didn’t have much.

“Sorry,” Nicholas grimaced, as he walked into the kitchen, “I don’t really cook, I usually go out to eat or order delivery.”

“That’s fine,” Euijoo said, as he stared at the mostly empty fridge, “I can work with this.”

Despite the lack of ingredients, Euijoo was still able to whip up a savory Juk dish that he was familiar with. It was one that his Mother always used to make for him for breakfast when he still lived at home. Nicholas seemed to enjoy it.

After breakfast, they sidled up next to each other on the couch, as Euijoo read to Nicholas some more. He listened, commenting every so often, as he pressed an icepack firmly to his forehead.

They ended up taking a long nap together on the couch, wrapped up in a twisted entanglement of arms and legs as they cuddled snugly together.

-

It was a quarter after noon, when Maki, Yuma and Jo would show up with steaming takeout food for Nicholas. They were surprised when Euijoo had been the one to greet them at the door, the looks on their faces inconceivable.

“We bring offerings,” Maki said, as he entered Nicholas’ apartment, followed by Yuma and Jo.

He held up the plastic bag filled with takeout, walking over to where Nicholas sat on the couch, “Fuma told us you were sick, or whatever.”

Euijoo assumed that this was Fuma’s cover for why Nicholas wasn’t at practice this morning.

“Oh—uh, yeah,” Nicholas responded, before forcing out a pitiful cough, “It’s just a cold, nothing serious.”

“Good thing we brought some miso soup then,” Jo grinned, “And lots of white rice.”

Nicholas graciously accepted the takeout bag from Maki, “Hell yeah.”

Euijoo felt like an outsider, as he watched Maki, Yuma and Jo get comfortable in Nicholas’ living room. He wondered how often they hung out, to get to this point of being so relaxed and open with each other. He suddenly missed Harua and Taki.

“Euijoo,” Nicholas called over to him, patting his empty lap, “Come eat, we can share.”

Euijoo saw Yuma share a pointed look with Maki, unbeknownst to Nicholas.

“When did you two get so close?” Maki snorted.

“What? Are you jealous?” Nicholas asked.

Maki didn’t respond.

Instead of sitting on Nicholas’ lap, Euijoo sat on the arm of the couch next to him. Nicholas offered him some of his food, but he politely declined, saying he wasn’t hungry.

As they ate their meal, Yuma shifted from where he sat cross legged on the floor, “So, Euijoo,” He began, “What’s Taki up to today?”

Euijoo was surprised by this line of questioning. Taki mentioned meeting Yuma at the boxing competition, but he didn’t think either one of them would have any particular interest in each other.

“Uh, I’m not sure,” Euijoo muttered, “Why?”

“I was just wondering,” Yuma shrugged, as he took a small sip of his water. He swallowed, before saying, “Him and that other guy—are they together?”

Euijoo snorted, “You mean Harua? No, they’re not together. They’re just roommates.”

“Oh okay, cool. Very interesting,” Yuma nodded. He went back to eating his meal.

Euijoo glanced over at Nicholas, hoping he’d have some idea on what was going on. He simply shrugged.

Euijoo didn’t know Yuma well, but Taki seemed like the furthest thing from his type. Yuma seemed sly and cunning like a cat, all scratch and bite. Meanwhile, Taki was sweet and clingy like a puppy. He was curious to see how this would pan out for them.

-

Euijoo and Nicholas ended up at the gym later that evening. Even though Nicholas couldn’t actively participate, he still wanted Euijoo to continue his training. He opted for coaching him through his workout.

After warming up, Euijoo started practicing his fighting techniques by shadowboxing, replicating what Nicholas had shown him in a previous training session. Nicholas observed closely, as he slowly encircled him. He actively gave tips on his stance and punches, pointing at where he should angle his feet and arms. Euijoo was eager to learn, and adapted well to his instruction.

He got to use one of the training dummies for the first time, since he couldn’t exactly spar with Nicholas right now. It was nice finally being able to take down something, even if it was just a practice dummy. He would jump on the dummy again and again, using his momentum to tackle it to the ground.

He was sweaty and heaving by the time he was done with his workout. He grabbed his waterbottle, quickly taking a swig from it.

“You’re doing well,” Nicholas told Euijoo, “I’d say you probably could start fighting in the club within the next week or so.”

Euijoo almost choked on his water, “Are you serious?”

Nicholas nodded, “You’re already twice as skilled as some of the rookies there, a lot of them don’t have trainers.”

Euijoo tried to hide his excitement. He could feel his lips turn up into a small smile.

“What?” Nicholas asked him.

“It feels kind of bittersweet, almost,” Euijoo said, “The end of an era, I guess.”

“Well, we’re still training 3 times a week,” Nicholas said, “so it’s the end of nothing, really. It’s just the start of a new chapter.”

Euijoo’s eyes met Nicholas’ as he said this, and he grinned. He knew he meant this, but also something else entirely. Euijoo walked over to Nicholas and wrapped his arms around his waist, before placing a kiss on his forehead.

“I like you a lot,” He softly whispered.

He saw Nicholas flush a deep red, as he squirmed in his grasp. He obviously didn’t try that hard to break free, seeing as he was way stronger than Euijoo.

“Hey, no kissing on the clock!” Nicholas jokingly chided.

“But I like you too, a lot.”

-

Euijoo showered and gathered his things, before they were finally able to exit the gym together. He waited nearby as Nicholas pulled keys out of his pants pocket and locked the front door. He put the keys in a metal deposit box by the entrance—for the owner to collect later—before turning and grasping Euijoo’s hand.

They started walking in the direction of the noodle shop they had visited before, when Euijoo saw a man leaning up against the building, smoking a cigarette.

It was Isamu. When Euijoo saw him, he swiftly pulled his hand away from Nicholas’ grasp. Nicholas seemed affronted by this gesture. Euijoo could feel a heated glare emanating off of him.

Isamu acknowledged the two men and grinned. He discarded his cigarette onto the pavement and crushed it with the sole of his leather loafer.

“Euijoo.”

“What are you doing here?” Euijoo asked, his voice brimming with contempt, “How did you know I was here?”

“You come here three times a week. You didn’t think we’d notice?” Isamu snorted.

He then walked over to Euijoo, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, “I just wanted to visit my favorite gambling partner. Plans have changed. We have to go to the casino tonight.”

Euijoo could feel Nicholas’ gaze looking back and forth between him and Isamu. He was observing their words and actions with captivated interest. Euijoo assumed he was trying to puzzle together on why this middle aged man was talking to him.

“I thought we weren’t going until later this week,” Euijoo hissed, “I don’t have any money on me right now.”

“Go home and get some,” Isamu shrugged, as he pulled a lighter out of his pant’s pocket and lit up another cigarette, “I’ll wait.”

Euijoo tore his eyes away from him, looking over at Nicholas.

“I’m sorry, Nico. I have to go,” He apologized, as he reached over and squeezed his hand affectionately.

He began to walk in the direction of the nearest subway station.

“Whoa, whoa, wait. What the fuck is going on?” Nicholas hissed.

He lunged after Euijoo, grasping his wrist, “Is that guy threatening you or something? Do you want me to deal with him?”

“No, he’s uh—That’s Isamu,” Euijoo explained, glancing over at the man, “He’s my uncle. We just both like to gamble together sometimes,”

Nicholas shot him a skeptical look.

“Euijoo, I know you’re lying to me right now,” He stated, “I said that I could take it, so tell me what the fuck is going on.”

“I’m not lying,” Euijoo replied, “I’ve got to go. I’ll come by your apartment later tonight, okay?”

He turned away before Nicholas could protest, his long legs allowing him to walk away hurriedly in the opposite direction.

🍓🍊

“Nico, are you alright?” Yudai asked, breaking Nicholas out of his dazed stupor, “You just totally zoned out for a second there.”

Yudai and Fuma were in his apartment, snuggling together on his couch as they watched a K-Drama on his TV. It felt odd having them here, since Nicholas usually hung out with them at their own place. They had the bigger, cozier apartment, one they had shared with each other for the past five years. They would have group dinners there sometimes, and would invite Nicholas, Yuma, Maki and Jo over to join them. Nicholas considered it the closest thing to home.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Nicholas reassured him. He hadn’t been paying attention. His mind was stuck on Euijoo, “What did you ask again?”

“Fuma and I are gonna order something for delivery. I asked if you wanted anything.”

“Oh, no, I’m good,” Nicholas replied, and turned his attention towards the drama playing on the TV.

The female lead was crying over something, stuck outside in what looked like a torrential downpour. The male lead magically appeared with an umbrella, before some cheesy Korean song started playing in the background. Nicholas was fluent in Korean, but he was still reading the Japanese subtitles, even if it made his head ache. He was just trying to focus his mind on anything other than Byun Euijoo.

“Where’s Euijoo tonight?” Fuma asked, “Isn’t he staying with you?”

“Yes,” Nicholas said, “He’s at some casino, with his uncle.”

Fuma and Yudai both looked bewildered by this statement.

“Euijoo gambles?” Yudai asked.

“I guess so,” Nicholas shrugged, “I honestly don’t fucking know.”

He didn’t mean to sound so bitter, but he felt hurt. He was getting tired of the push and pull. He was getting tired of trying to wrap his head around what was going on with Euijoo.

“Yuma and Maki told me something is going on between you two,” Fuma stated, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’d rather not,” Nicholas grimaced, and shifted uncomfortably from where he sat on the couch.

“Well, just know we’re here for you, if you ever do want to talk about anything,” Fuma said, and left it at that.

Nicholas mulled this over for a moment. If he was going to talk to anyone about this, Fuma and Yudai were probably the best ones to talk to.

“I just don’t understand him,” Nicholas sighed, “He told me he doesn’t have any family in Japan, but now I’ve met his ‘uncle’? And him having a gambling problem…That just seems so unlike him. It makes no sense.”

“I mean, It makes sense to me,” Yudai stated, “He started fighting in the club for money, right? Maybe he has some gambling debt.”

“Maybe,” Nicholas frowned, “It just doesn’t seem like him though…”

“Well, you guys met a little over a month ago, right?” Fuma asked, and Nicholas nodded, “So, how well do you really know him?”

Nicholas didn’t respond, as he pondered this. He thought he was beginning to know Euijoo, at least just a little bit. But Fuma was right, he still didn’t know a lot about him. How many more curveballs would be thrown at him, as he got to know him better?

“Just be careful, Nico,” Yudai said, “I think Fuma and I both agree that we don’t want you to get hurt.”

-

Yudai and Fuma were long gone by the time Euijoo got back. It was nearing 3AM, and Nicholas was laying sprawled out on the couch as he stared at the screen on his phone. He was watching some MMA fights on YouTube, when he heard the monotonous beeping of the keypad to his front door. Euijoo slowly opened the door and closed it, not realizing that Nicholas was watching him from where he lay on the couch.

“You’re back late,” Nicholas stated, and he saw Euijoo jump.

“Fuck, Nico, you scared me,” He gasped, “Why are you awake? Why are you just laying there in the dark?”

“I don't know, maybe because I was waiting for you,” Nicholas said, before pushing himself up into a sitting position. He slumped his shoulders and pouted, looking like a hurt kitten.

Euijoo walked over to him slowly, bracing himself between Nicholas’ thighs. He leaned down to cup his face and kiss him gently.

“I’m sorry I’m back so late,” Euijoo muttered, their faces mere inches apart, “How can I make it up to you?”

Nicholas desperately wanted to stay mad at him, but he could already feel his heart softening at his tender words. He pulled Euijoo down to him, their lips conjoining in a heated exchange.

In the midst of their open mouths devouring each other, they ended up entangled together on the couch. Euijoo was sprawled on top of Nicholas, his taller frame pinning him down onto the smooth leather of the couch. Their tongues were dragging lazily across each other, as they took their sweet time committing each other's inevitable undoing.

Nicholas’ tongue swiped over Euijoo’s bottom lip, before he bit down hard on the soft, tender skin there. Euijoo let out a soft groan, and Nicholas could feel something hard pressed up against his thigh, as he grinded against him. Nicholas reached down and palmed him gently through the fabric of his sweatpants. Euijoo shivered on top of him.

“Don’t do that,” He panted.

“Why not?” Nicholas smirked.

“You know why,” He hissed.

“Does it feel good, Juju?” Nicholas asked, as he touched him again. He could feel Euijoo stiffen on top of him, as he heard this nickname, “Do I make you feel good?”

“You make me feel fucking crazy, Nico,” Euijoo groaned, before he started pressing soft kisses down Nicholas’ jaw.

Euijoo dragged his teeth across Nicholas’ neck—biting and sucking—leaving a trail of lovebites down his throat. He thought about how he would definitely be bruised by morning, branded by Byun Euijoo.

He felt Euijoo inch his hand under his shirt. He delicately traced his fingers over his stomach, before reaching up and running a thumb over one of his sensitive nipples. Nicholas gasped, feeling his cock twitch in his sweatpants.

He groaned, as he shifted uncomfortably, “Can you touch me?”

“You want me to touch you, Nico?” Euijoo asked, “You want to fuck my hand? You want to come in my palm?”

Nicholas bit down on his bottom lip and nodded desperately. Touché, he thought to himself. Euijoo knew exactly what buttons to press. He knew exactly how to tease him.

Nicholas watched as Euijoo reached down, untying the strings on his sweatpants to loosen the waistband. He dragged a fingernail across Nicholas’ lower abdomen, making him shiver. He slowly reached a hand under his sweatpants and underwear, before palming at his hardened cock.

Nicholas clenched his teeth, letting out a low hiss, “Fuck…”

“Does that feel good?” Euijoo asked, as he pumped his right hand up and down his cock slowly. He ran his thumb over the leaking head, picking up the precum there.

“Yeah, really good,” Nicholas panted, as he squeezed his eyes shut.

He wasn’t lying. Nicholas imagined the rough friction of Euijoo’s hand running up and down his length must be pretty damn close to what heaven felt like.

Nicholas opened his eyes, seeing that Euijoo was still watching him closely, “Can you kiss me?” He asked.

“So needy,” Euijoo chuckled, but he swiftly complied, slotting their lips together.

Nicholas ran his fingers through Euijoo’s hair, tugging the locks gently as they kissed. It was almost overstimulating: their mouths molding together as Euijoo gripped his cock.

Nicholas broke away from their kiss with a gasp. He was panting heavier now. Euijoo seemed to notice, as he picked up the pace. Nicholas could feel that he was beginning to reach that precipice, and he quickly spit into his own palm, before burying his hand down Euijoo’s sweatpants. Might as well share the glory, right?

“Is this okay?” Nicholas asked, and Euijoo nodded.

He held up his own palm in front of Nicholas, allowing him to spit into it, before reaching down to wrap his hand around his cock again.

They matched each other’s pace, both of them panting heavily as they worked each other up to their breaking point. Euijoo buried his face into the crook of Nicholas’ neck. His open mouth grazed the skin there, making Nicholas tremble.

“Juju,” Nicholas whined into Euijoo’s ear. His free hand reached over and tugged desperately at the hair on his nape, “I want to see you.”

Euijoo pulled back, his face mere inches from Nicholas’ own. Nicholas drank in the sight of him. His mouth was open slightly as he panted, eyes heavy and full of desire. His tongue swiped over his bottom lip, as he watched Nicholas.

“You’re so fucking hot,” Nicholas panted, and bit down onto his bottom lip.

He had reached his peak then, letting out a strangled moan as he came into his underwear and all over Euijoo’s palm.

Euijoo followed him soon after, coming undone as he watched Nicholas reach his own orgasm a moment before.

“F-fuck…” Euijoo hissed through clenched teeth, as he shut his eyes tightly.

Nicholas felt a hot stickiness cover his palm, as Euijoo came freely into the clenched grip on his cock.

Nicholas continued to stroke the overly sensitive head, as Euijoo let out soft whimpers.

“Nico…” He whined.

Nicholas smirked and arched his back up to place a gentle kiss onto the corner of his mouth.

They laid sprawled together, panting heavily as they both came down from their shared orgasm. Euijoo dropped his head onto Nicholas’ chest, nuzzling his face into the hollowness there. Nicholas placed a kiss on top of his head, his free hand stroking his back gently.

“I just want to stay like this forever,” Euijoo muttered. His voice was muffled, since his face was buried into Nicholas’ shirt.

“You could,” Nicholas replied, “You could just move in.”

Euijoo snorted, pulling away from him, “Nico, it’s been like two days.”

“Yeah, two days of what exactly?” Nicholas asked him, “What exactly is this? Are we dating now?”

“Uh…I’m not sure,” Euijoo replied, and then grimaced, “I mean, do we really have to put a label on it right now?”

Nicholas didn’t know why, but that stung. He wondered if this was how Hiroshi felt, after his advances to make their relationship official had been rejected by Nicholas so many times. He still saw Hiroshi at work sometimes, but he avoided him now.

“I guess not,” Nicholas muttered, as he crawled out from under Euijoo, “I’m gonna shower, then go to bed.”

“Nico,” Euijoo called after him, “Are we okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Nicholas replied.

He decided that he would have to be okay with this. He would have to be satisfied with Euijoo being within arms reach of him—with him being his but not really his. I mean this is what he wanted, right? So why did his heart still yearn for more?

Chapter Text

Euijoo had been hesitant the first time he was intimate with Nicholas during his training. Even though they rented the gym out for personal use, the fact that they were in a public space where anyone could walk in was on the forefront of his mind. Nicholas had assured him multiple times that he always locked the front door, but he would still constantly glance over his shoulder to check for any unwelcome guests. It took a few weeks of this before he seemed accustomed with the fact that they were truly alone, and he was free to do as he wished.

As the training sessions with Nicholas persisted, following these recent developments, it got increasingly harder to focus on the task at hand. They would somehow end up in the same position, with one of the two straddling the other, hands wandering freely across bare skin and mouths finding each other in a passionate embrace.

That was how they spent their evening, with Euijoo on top of Nicholas, his hand curled up beneath his shirt as their lips moved together tenderly. Purple bruises were already blossoming on the soft skin near Nicholas’ collarbone, lingering remnants of this intimate moment they shared.

Euijoo hadn’t even noticed he had been rutting himself against Nicholas, until he felt rough hands grasp his waist tightly and drag him down onto him. He threw his head back, letting out a soft moan, as Nicholas continually rubbed his clothed hardness against his own.

Nicholas arched up to latch his lips onto Euijoo’s exposed throat, as they thrusted against each other in a synchronized rhythm. Euijoo’s shirt was pushed up to expose his bare chest, and he felt Nicholas’ tongue roughly drag across one of his nipples. He panted heavily as he laced his fingers through Nicholas’ black hair, gripping loose strands and pulling his head back to kiss him hungrily. He gasped into Nicholas’ open mouth when he felt his hands cup his ass through his shorts, as he barreled down onto him, again and again.

That familiar heated pleasure was building in the pit of Euijoo’s stomach, as he was nearing his brink. He could tell Nicholas was reaching that edge too, as he moved against him in an uncoordinated and messy fashion. Nicholas came first, in a flurry of impassioned curses and panting moans, burying his face into the crook of Euijoo’s neck. He chased him soon after, moaning softly as he spilled into his underwear and athletic shorts. He felt sticky and hot, as they lay next to each other, panting heavily as they came down from their collective high.

“I need to shower,” Euijoo groaned, and Nicholas chuckled softly next to him.

“Me too.”

Euijoo heard Nicholas’ phone chime, and glanced over as he sighed, rolling over to check the text he just received.

“Who is it?” Euijoo asked, as he watched Nicholas’ eyes scan over the message.

“Fuma,” Nicholas replied, “He just told me the fight club is meeting later tonight, you in?”

Euijoo didn’t know what he was expecting tonight, but surely not this. He was
going to have his first real fight.

“I’m in.”

-

Euijoo and Nicholas had to force a path through the horde of people watching the current fight. The group was turbulent as usual, heckling and cheering as they watched the two fighters in the ring. The two men were eventually able to find Fuma standing amongst the dwindling crowd on the sidelines, observing the brawl.

He smiled softly when he saw them, before asking Euijoo, “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Nervous,” Euijoo replied. And he wasn’t lying. His stomach turned uneasily. He prayed that he wouldn’t embarrass himself by throwing up in front of all these people.

“You’ll do great, I promise,” Nicholas reassured him, as he placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

“That’s who you’re fighting tonight,” Fuma told him, directing Euijoo’s attention towards his opponent.

Euijoo laid his eyes on a man about his age, if not younger. The man was shorter than him, about 5’9” in height, but stockier in build. He had more muscle mass compared to Euijoo; who, despite his training, was still very lean. However, he appeared to be alone. It didn’t seem like he had a fighting coach with him, which was a promising sign. At least Euijoo would have more technical fighting knowledge to his advantage by training under Nicholas. Either way, he decided he would have to be cautious, wary of the fact that he could easily be overpowered.

“I wish I could give you more details on him, but he’s a new fighter, like you,” Fuma stated, “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Euijoo sighed, “I think I can handle him.”

“That’s the spirit,” Fuma chuckled.

Nicholas grabbed both of Euijoo’s shoulders and squeezed, before saying, “Come on, you should start warming up.”

Euijoo listened, as he began to replicate the stretches he was taught throughout his training. As he did so, both Nicholas and Fuma ran through tips, telling him about certain things to consider during his fight. The distractions of the crowd was a major consideration, and something he wouldn’t be used to, seeing as he only ever trained in a quiet gym. He would have to be wary of that.

Nicholas had assured Euijoo that he was ready to fight in the club; that after months of training, he could finally see the payoff. But as his nerves clouded his mind, he wondered if that was really true. He knew that even if he lost, he could try again, but what if he never won a fight? What if he never got enough money to pay off his father’s debt? What if he could never go back home?

“Juju,” Nicholas called for him, grounding him back to earth, “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah, sorry,” Euijoo muttered, “What did you say?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter,” Nicholas said, as he walked over to Euijoo and cradled his face, “You got this, okay? I’ve seen you fight, you easily outmatch any of these rookies.”

“You think so?” Euijoo asked.

“100%,” Nicholas said, “When you’re out there, just think of me. Win for me, okay?”

“Okay…I will,” Euijoo smiled, just as the referee’s whistle rang out, signaling the end of the current match.

Euijoo eyed his opponent as he walked over to take his spot in the ring. He was cracking his knuckles, then his neck, as he looked him over. He seemed unintimidated, probably deeming this as an easy win. Euijoo could use that to his advantage.

“What's your name?” Euijoo’s opponent called over to him. He was surprised, since he’d never seen other fighters speak to each other casually before, apart from the usual taunting that was accustomed for a fight.

“Euijoo,” He called back, “What's yours?”

“Daichi,” He replied, “Remember that when I beat you.”

Right. Euijoo almost scoffed, but held back as he leaned down into a fighting stance, waiting for the whistle. It rang out a few seconds later, signifying the start of their match.

Euijoo tried to anticipate his opponent’s first move, like he usually would during his training, but was surprised to see Daichi already charging straight towards him. He can’t be serious, Euijoo thought to himself. He easily dodged to the left, watching as Daichi barreled into the crowd behind him. A few of the onlookers he ran into screamed, as he fell to the ground and rolled over. He easily pushed himself back to his feet a moment later, and traipsed back into the ring, seemingly ashamed.

Euijoo watched this all from a distance, a mixture of confusion and shock etched into his expression, “Is this your first fight?”

He had meant it as a genuine question, but Daichi interpreted these words as a gibe at him. He hissed a curse at him, before he came charging once again. Euijoo dodged his attack again, and Daichi was able to stop short of the crowd this time.

As the fight continued with Euijoo continuously dodging Daichi’s attacks, he could already see that he was overexerting himself. He was sweaty and panting, as he leaned over to place his hands on his thighs and glared at him.

“If you keep coming at me like that, you won’t last much longer,” Euijoo told him, “If you want to be on the offensive, wait to attack until you see an opening.”

He didn’t know why he was giving fighting tips to his opponent. Maybe he just felt bad for the guy. Daichi still glowered at him, but a hint of recognition glinted in his eyes. Meanwhile, the crowd surrounding them muttered idly, apparently confused on why the two fighters were chatting with each other.

“Euijoo, what are you doing?” Nicholas hissed at him, but he ignored him.

Daichi gave a small nod, as he pushed himself up and they started circling each other. It felt like a proper fight now, as they watched each other closely. Euijoo saw Daichi trip over his own feet, and regarded this as his opportunity for attack. He darted forward, throwing his entire weight behind the punch. Daichi quickly recovered, however, and was able to grasp Euijoo’s wrist tightly before twisting it behind him. Oh. Okay. Was he just pretending not to know his way around a fight?

He kicked Euijoo’s feet out from under him, and pinned him to the ground, pressing his knee into his lower back.

Daichi came up close to his left ear, before taunting, “How are you gonna get out of this one?”

In truth, he was a lot heavier and sturdier than him, but Euijoo was smarter. He threw his head back, colliding with Daichi’s nose with a sickening crack.

“You motherfucker!” He cried, as he held his bleeding nose.

Euijoo took this opportunity to get the upperhand. He rolled onto his back and twisted his legs around Daichi’s torso, before turning to pin him onto the ground underneath him. He straddled him as he grasped a headful of his hair.

“Sorry about this,” He apologized, as he began bashing his head onto the pavement, again and again.

Daichi simply cursed him over and over, until Euijoo was sure by the amount of blood and his unperturbed silence, that he was knocked out. He looked around at the wild crowd surrounding him, grounding himself back to reality. The referee’s whistle had already rang out, and he hadn’t yet realized that he won the fight.

“Juju, that was amazing!” Nicholas gleamed, as he escorted him out of the circular clearing of the ring.

“Yeah, well done,” Fuma agreed, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I do have a few pointers but—“

Nicholas shushed him, “That can wait, Fuma, just let him take pride in his first win for now,” He then wrapped an arm around Euijoo’s shoulders, before muttering in his ear, “I have to work tonight, but come over after my shift and we can celebrate, okay?”

Euijoo’s cheeks flushed and he nodded shyly, “Okay.”

-

After Fuma and Nicholas departed, Euijoo went to retrieve his winnings for his fight that night. He was surprised to find out that it had already been collected.

“There must be some mistake—“ He began, but the woman who allocated the winning money simply pointed at a man standing nearby. It was Isamu.

He stared at Euijoo like he just caught a child with their hand in a cookie jar, and not like he just found his appointed drug mule participating in a fightclub, behind the gang’s back.

Euijoo walked over to him, hesitantly, “How did you know I was here?”

“We have hands in every pot, Euijoo. Word tends to get around,” Isamu said, “The boss wants to talk to you.”

Euijoo could tell by his unusually sober demeanor that this was serious. They had caught him redhanded. He should’ve known that the Ryuji gang would have ties to the fightclub. He was totally fucked.

“Okay, how do I talk to him?” Euijoo asked, trying his best to keep a cool composure. His hands already felt slick from sweat, and he rubbed them on his shorts idly.

Isamu passively gestured for him to follow him, and Euijoo did so. They exited the warehouse, walking towards a slick black car that waited outside for them, engine stirring with a soft hum.

Isamu opened the trunk, pulling out some rope and cloth that sat within, “Sorry about this, just some precautionary measures, yakno?”

Euijoo’s wrists were securely restrained behind his back, before Isamu tied a blindfold over his eyes.

“Where is your phone?” Isamu asked him, and he gestured towards the back pocket of his shorts.

Euijoo flinched when he felt Isamu fish his phone out of his pocket, and then he was forcefully shoved into the back seat. He heard the car door slam with a thud, flinching again, startled by the sudden noise. He was blind and incapacitated, and all he could perceive was his heart thundering wildly in his chest. He was trying his best to keep his cool, but he was scared. He had never seen or spoken to the Ryuji’s boss before, and had no idea what this meeting could possibly entail. He had a grim feeling that whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good.

Isamu must’ve climbed into the passenger seat, since Euijoo heard him mutter something softly to the driver, before he felt the car start to move. They were off to whatever mysterious location planned for the meeting.

Euijoo felt foolish for thinking about Nicholas while on the ride to his own funeral, instead of reflecting on his mother, sister or friends, but he couldn’t help it. He sullenly wished he had kissed Nicholas goodbye earlier, or at least said something cool or meaningful as his final words to him. Instead, they had parted ways in a manner of relatively no significance. He silently cursed himself.

The drive took about 20 minutes, until Euijoo felt the car finally halt at their destination. He felt Isamu pull him out of the backseat, dragging him away from the car by the collar of his shirt. Rough hands pushed down on his shoulders until his knees came into contact with hard asphalt, and his blindfold was finally removed. His eyes subtly adjusted to the soft street lights, as he surveyed his surroundings.

He was in an alleyway, surrounded by a large group of men, all he recognized as members of the Ryuji gang. He counted about eight members in total, all staring down at him in anticipation as their boss gave a final order. Euijoo flinched when Isamu approached him, holding a cellphone up to his ear.

He should’ve known that the gang’s boss wouldn’t meet with him in person, but he still felt disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to put a face to a name.

“Hello?” Euijoo called into the phone, his voice cracking.

“Euijoo,” He heard a stranger’s voice on the other line remark, “Do you know who I am?”

“Uh, yeah…” Euijoo muttered, “You're the Ryuji’s boss, right?”

The man chuckled on the other end, “You can call me Ritsu.”

“Okay…Ritsu.”

“Do you know why I called for you?” He asked.

Euijoo hummed, “I have an inkling.”

“I’ve heard you fought in the club, Euijoo, which is…” The man clucked his tongue, “Bad news, to say the least.”

“I was only doing it to try and get enough money to pay off my father’s debt sooner—“ Euijoo began.

“Did I ask for you to explain yourself?” Ritsu snapped, and Euijoo immediately stopped talking, “It’s fine, you’re not necessarily in trouble, as long as you do as I say.”

“What do you want me to do?” Euijoo asked, hesitantly.

“You’ll join the gang as an official member,” Ritsu said, “And do absolutely anything I ask of you. Also, since you wanted to fight so badly, you’ll continue to do so in the club, giving us all your earnings. Otherwise, we’ll just have to kill that pretty coach of yours, won’t we?”

Euijoo’s heart dropped into his stomach when he realized who he was referring to. They must’ve known more about him than they let on. He wondered how long they’d been watching his and Nicholas’ interactions.

“Am I understood?”

“Yes…” Euijoo whispered.

“Good,” Ritsu replied, “Tell Isamu I want to speak with him.”

Euijoo did so, and Isamu placed the phone up to his ear, walking away. He tried to blink away the stinging hot tears in the corner of his eyes, fidgeting uncomfortably in his restraints. He thought about how things couldn’t get worse than this. He had just signed his life away. Paying off his fathers debt? Eventually being free of the Ryuji gang? All of that was no longer a possibility. He was trapped.

Isamu hung up the phone, as he glanced over at the group of men nearby, giving them a small nod. Euijoo somehow knew this was coming, since why else would these men be here? His punishment wasn’t over just yet. He felt a swift crack to the back of his skull and darkness clouded his vision, as he fell onto the pavement.

 

🍓🍊

 

Nicholas was woken up by a persistent knocking on his front door. He swiftly grasped his phone that lay on his bedside table, looking at the current time. It was nearly 4AM. Who could possibly be knocking on his door this late?

He climbed out of bed with a disgruntled groan, annoyance motivating him to deal with whatever nuisance was disrupting his sleep. He thundered over to the door, throwing it open, face to face with none other than Byun Euijoo.

Nicholas had texted him earlier asking if he was coming over, but he never responded to his texts. He assumed that he had just gone home after fighting tonight. But now he was here, at his door, looking worse for wear.

Euijoo stood there, keeled over as his right hand was placed over the left side of his abdomen, underneath his ribs. Nicholas immediately noticed his bruised and bloodied face, the swelling underneath his right eye nearly closing it completely. He could see that his brown hair was matted with a mixture of blood, sweat and dirt. This was definitely not the state he left him in earlier that night. What the fuck happened since then?

“Hey,” Euijoo muttered, wincing as he spoke, “Do you mind if I come in?”

“What happened?” Nicholas asked, as he helped Euijoo inside his apartment. He could see that he was visibly limping. His left ankle was swollen and purple.

“It’s a long story,” He winced again, and let out a low whine as Nicholas helped him sit down on the couch.

He saw that there was a large gash on the back of his head, still wet with fresh blood, “Euijoo, this is bad. I really think I should take you to a hospital.”

“I can’t—“ He began, and let out a pained groan, “I can’t go to a hospital.”

“And why the fuck not?” Nicholas scoffed, but Euijoo didn’t respond.

He stared at a spot on the living room floor, chewing on his bloodied bottom lip.

Nicholas sighed, “Can I at least have Yudai come over and take a look?”

Euijoo reluctantly agreed with a curt nod. Nicholas called Yudai a moment later to tell him about the current situation. He told him that he’d be there soon.

“Is it alright if I take a shower?” Euijoo asked Nicholas, after he ended the call.

He nodded, “Let me help.”

Nicholas handled Euijoo gently, like he was a piece of fine china, as he led him to the bathroom. He turned the shower on, running a hand under the stream of water to check the temperature, before helping Euijoo undress himself. He grimaced and let out a disgruntled groan, as he lifted his arms overhead. Nicholas could see why, as he lifted his shirt and saw the smattering of large blue and purple bruises covering his ribcage.

“Jesus Christ, Euijoo,” Nicholas hissed, “Who did this to you?”

He didn’t respond, avoiding his gaze. Nicholas
sighed, but continued to help undress the man in front of him.

“Whoever it was, I’m going to fucking kill them,” Nicholas muttered, bundling up Euijoo’s dirty clothes and throwing them into the laundry basket nearby.

“Please Nico…Don’t,” Euijoo pleaded, “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Y-You don’t want me to get hurt?” Nicholas scoffed, as he tugged his own shirt off hurriedly, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

After they both were undressed, Nicholas helped Euijoo into the shower. He let out a small whimper when the warm water hit him, grimacing in pain. Nicholas began to wash out the blood and dirt caked in Euijoo’s brown hair, avoiding the open wound on the back of his head. Streams of red water came down, and Nicholas tried his best to keep his composure. He needed to be strong for Euijoo right now. He was gentle with washing up his chest, arms and back, not knowing the extent of the bruises that covered them.

“I’m sorry, Nico,” Euijoo muttered, as Nicholas began sudsing up his lower half.

“What are you apologizing for?” Nicholas asked, glancing up at him, “You did absolutely nothing wrong.”

“I just feel like I’ve been such a burden to you—“ He began.

“Stop—Don’t,” Nicholas interrupted him, standing up straight to face him, “You’re not a burden, okay?”

Euijoo nodded, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at him. Nicholas swiftly wiped them away with the pad of his thumb, without another word.

The water ran clear now, so Nicholas moved to turn the shower off and help Euijoo out of it. He handed him a towel so he could dry off, and gave him some fresh clothing to wear, before getting himself dressed and retreating to the living room. Euijoo was taking his time in the bedroom, so Nicholas texted Yudai to get an update on his ETA. He told him he’d be there in about 10 minutes.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened?” Nicholas asked when he saw Euijoo walk into the living room. Despite how tall he was, he somehow looked small in Nicholas’ sleep shirt and shorts.

He took a seat next to him on the couch, still holding his left side, “It’s really not that important.”

“Euijoo, from the looks of it, you could’ve died. I think it's entirely important,” Nicholas said, “What happened? Who did this to you?”

Euijoo hesitated, fidgeting nervously as he mulled over how to reply. Nicholas reached over and grabbed his hand, which seemed to somewhat reassure him.

“I’m just scared,” Euijoo muttered softly, “That once you know…that you’ll get hurt, or hate me.”

“No matter what, I'm here for you, okay?” Nicholas told him, “You can trust me.”

Before Euijoo could respond, Nicholas heard a knock on the door. He got up to open it, and was greeted by Yudai and Fuma.

“Where is he?” Yudai asked, holding up his medical bag. Nicholas swiftly motioned towards the living room.

“Hi Euijoo,” Yudai smiled softly, as he and Fuma entered Nicholas’ apartment. Yudai began setting up his medical supplies, as he and Euijoo chatted casually.

Nicholas was going to join them, before he felt Fuma grasp his arm, holding him back, “Nico, what happened?” He asked, in a hushed whisper.

“I don’t know, he won’t tell me,” Nicholas replied, “By the looks of it, I’d say he got jumped.”

“Who would do this?” Fuma asked first, before adding, “And why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe that dude he beat up tonight had friends? I have no idea,” Nicholas sighed, defeatedly.

Fuma frowned, “Yudai and I are worried about you, Nico. Whatever Euijoo’s wrapped up in, I’m scared you’ll get dragged into it.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Nicholas reassured him, “I’m grown, Fuma. I can take care of myself.”

“Nico, I just—“ Fuma began, before asking, “Is he really worth it? Is he really worth the risk you’re putting yourself in?”

“Yes,” Nicholas replied, with no hesitation, “Let me remind you that we aren’t exactly saints ourselves. I put myself at risk constantly, and it helps line both of our pockets, doesn’t it?”

“Nico…” Fuma muttered, but Nicholas turned away as he went to join Euijoo and Yudai in the living room.

Yudai was parting Euijoo’s hair softly, as he examined his head wound, “This will need some stitches. Is that okay with you?”

“That’s fine,” Euijoo replied, as Nicholas sat down next to him.

“Fuma, can you pass me my suture kit?” Yudai asked, and he abruptly handed it over.

Euijoo grimaced when Yudai sterilized the wound and pierced the needle through the first bit of flesh, and Nicholas grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. It took 8 sutures to stitch it up fully, and Yudai dressed the wound by wrapping gauze around the circumference of Euijoo’s head.

“You’ll need to see me in a few days so I can take those stitches out for you,” Yudai told Euijoo. He began examining the rest of his injuries, before saying, “It’d be a lot easier to determine what's wrong if you told me what happened.”

Euijoo didn’t respond, as the other men watched him anxiously.

“Well, can you at least tell me what else hurts,” Yudai sighed.

“I think I dislocated my shoulder here,” Euijoo said, touching his left shoulder gently, “and possibly broke a few ribs.”

Yudai examined his shoulder closely, “Yep, I’ll have to set it back in place. It’s gonna hurt like hell.”

“It already hurts like hell,” Euijoo grimaced, “I can take it.”

Yudai nodded as he grabbed his left arm, “I’ll set it on 3, okay?”

Euijoo nodded.

“Alright, ready? One, two—“ Nicholas heard a sickening pop as Yudai set Euijoo’s shoulder back into place.

Euijoo doubled over in pain, letting out a cry. He whined softly through clenched teeth, “I-I thought you said on three.”

“Yudai…” Fuma sighed, shaking his head in disapproval.

“What? It was better to just do it without all the anticipation,” Yudai said, “Feels better now, right?”

“It—It does,” Euijoo affirmed, as he touched his own shoulder gently, “Thank you.”

“No problem. You’ll have to wear a sling for a bit,” Yudai told him, “And limit physical activity and overuse. No more fighting for a while.”

“Great,” Euijoo smiled weakly. Nicholas could tell his injuries were finally getting to him. He looked exhausted.

“Can you take off your shirt? So I can see your ribs,” Yudai asked.

Euijoo hastily compiled, and Nicholas helped him tug off his shirt.

“Christ,” Fuma murmured, after seeing the large bruises speckling Euijoo’s bare torso.

Yudai shot him a glare, “Sorry, Fuma isn’t that great at bedside manner.”

“It's alright,” Euijoo chuckled softly, “I know it’s bad.”

He stood up so Yudai could get a good look at his ribs, and he deemed that at least two of them were broken.

“I’d say painkillers and icing the area are your best bet,” Yudai said, and gestured towards Euijoo’s swollen eye and ankle, “You should ice those immediately too.”

Nicholas got up to grab an ice pack from the kitchen fridge, promptly handing it over to Euijoo. He thanked him, pressing the pack up to his eye. Yudai began putting his supplies back into his medical bag, as he got ready to leave.

“Thanks again, Yudai,” Nicholas said.

“Yes, thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver, truly,” Euijoo joined in, and Yudai nodded.

“Just doing my job, I guess,” Yudai sighed, “Call me immediately if there's any new developments, okay? I’ll see you soon to take out those stitches.”

“Okay,” Nicholas nodded.

They watched as both men exited through the front door. Fuma departed with a small wave of his hand, shutting the door softly behind him. They were alone again, and Nicholas placed a hand on Euijoo’s thigh and squeezed.

“You should get some sleep,” He said, “You look like shit.”

“Thanks,” Euijoo muttered, hiding a smile, “I think I will, I’m exhausted.”

Nicholas nodded, removing his hand from Euijoo’s thigh. He was genuinely surprised when he leaned over and kissed him.

“Thank you, Nico,” Euijoo whispered, before he stood up and limped into the bedroom.

Nicholas placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart, wondering how Euijoo always managed to make him this flustered.

-

Euijoo slept in that morning, which was admissible in light of current circumstances. Nicholas decided to let him rest, considering that he probably needed it.

He was getting ready for the day in the bathroom, and was wiping down his face with a warm washcloth after shaving. He heard a distinct buzzing coming from his laundry basket, and glanced over, confused. He dug through the basket to find a flip phone in the pocket of Euijoo’s shorts. It was one of those paid by the minute phones that you can get at the grocery store. Totally not suspicious at all.

Nicholas flipped it open, checking the message that
was just received.

Drop tonight. 6PM. Behind the Tsukiyo Casino.

Thoughts raced through Nicholas’ mind after he read the message. Was this the casino Euijoo went to with his uncle? Why did he have an entirely different phone for receiving these cryptic messages? What could ‘drop’ possibly even mean?

His curiosity peaked, and he decided that if Euijoo wasn’t going to tell him what was going on, he’d have to just find out for himself. Whatever he was involved in nearly got him killed, and Nicholas needed to know why. He needed to know who was responsible. He deleted the message, before putting the phone back where he found it.

He nearly jumped out of his skin a moment later, when he heard Euijoo mutter a good morning to him from the doorway.

“Oh, uh—hey, good morning,” Nicholas replied, “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Euijoo said, “I was going to grab some painkillers.”

“I’ll give you some if you get back in bed,” Nicholas said, as he pointed towards his bedroom, “You need to be resting your ankle.”

“Fine,” Euijoo sighed, before hobbling back to Nicholas’ bedroom.

Nicholas retrieved a cup of water and some Tylenol, before making a simple breakfast of peanut butter toast and orange juice. He didn’t want to give Euijoo analgesics on an empty stomach.

“Here, eat first,” Nicholas said, as he handed Euijoo the plate of toast. He didn’t argue with him, thankfully, and ate both pieces without complaint, “I work tonight, so I asked Maki to come over to keep an eye on you.”

He hadn’t actually asked Maki yet, and he wasn’t scheduled to work tonight either, but Euijoo didn't need to know that he was lying. He didn’t need to know that he was technically going to dive into his personal business behind his back, and he needed some sort of distraction before Euijoo caught on to what he was doing.

“Nico, I don’t need a babysitter,” Euijoo scoffed, “I’ll be fine.”

“Well, I don’t want you moving an inch from that bed,” Nicholas said, “Otherwise you’ll just strain your ankle more. Maki won’t mind helping out.”

“Are you my doctor?” Euijoo teased, and Nicholas rolled his eyes.

“Can you just not be difficult for once?” He groaned.

“Fine,” Euijoo sighed, before grabbing Nicholas’ hand and squeezing, “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Of course,” Nicholas replied, trying his best to ignore the distinct feeling of guilt brimming in his chest.

 

🍓🍊

 

Euijoo had no idea that when Nicholas invited Maki over, that it would cause such a domino effect that would end up with four other people joining them. Maki, of course, invited Yuma along, which would’ve been fine. But Yuma invited Jo and Taki, and Taki invited Harua, and now Euijoo’s friends were doting on him because they had no idea that he was in the state he was currently in. Nicholas seemed pleased by the surplus of uninvited guests, simply saying the more the merrier, and Euijoo glared daggers at him as he left.

Now he lay on the couch with his leg elevated on a pillow, as Jo and Harua were drawing doodles in sharpie on the gauze wrapped around his ankle. Maki, Yuma and Taki were playing Mario Kart on Taki’s Nintendo Switch that he brought with him, and Euijoo silently prayed for the night to be over so his mind could finally rest.

“Juju, do you need anything?” Taki asked, after they finished up their current race.

“Taki, that's like the fourth time you asked him, I think he’s fine,” Harua sighed, as he rolled his eyes.

“I’m fine, Taki, thank you for asking,” Euijoo smiled softly at him, and Taki grinned before tuning back into the game they were playing.

As the lull of his friends' voices accompanied him, he could feel himself drifting off to sleep, his chin falling onto his chest as his head grew heavy. He was on the brink of sleep, when he felt a vibrating in his pocket. His burner phone. He definitely couldn’t check it here. He pushed himself to get up, and all four pairs of eyes shot in his direction.

“Where are you going?” Maki asked him.

“Just the bathroom, I’ll be back,” He said.

“Do you need help?” Jo asked, and Euijoo shook his head.

“I’m fine.”

Thankfully, they seemed to take his word for it, as they all turned back to whatever they were doing. Euijoo stumbled into the bathroom and locked the door behind him, before sitting on the toilet to check his phone. He was confused when he read the message he just received.

Waiting here with the drop. Where are you?

Did he miss something? He read his previous messages, and didn’t see anything about a drop happening tonight. When his eye caught sight of the laundry basket in the corner, where he found his burner phone this morning, his heart dropped into his stomach as his mind put the puzzle pieces together. Nico.

He ran into the living room, ignoring the burning pain in his ankle, as he began putting his shoes on.

“Euijoo?” Taki muttered, as they all stared at him, “Where are you going?”

“Out,” He said. He obviously couldn’t tell them about where he was really going, and how Nicholas was in imminent danger.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa” Maki began, as he stood up and walked in front of the door, “I can’t just let you leave.”

He obviously couldn’t take Maki in a fight, but at this point he was ready to square up just so he could leave. Maki seemed to notice his defensive demeanor, and put his hands up hesitantly.

“Euijoo, it’s okay,” He said, “What’s going on? Is it Nico?”

He nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn’t protect him. Even if he wasn’t injured, he knew that he couldn’t protect him. He was frustrated with himself, feeling useless.

“Here, sit down,” Maki said, as he helped him over to the couch, “Do you want me to call him?”

Euijoo nodded. He’d do it himself but he wasn't sure if he was in the right mind to speak to anyone right now. Harua placed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder, as Maki held his phone up to his ear. He tried calling him a few times, frowning.

“He’s not picking up,” Maki said.

“Can you call Fuma?” Euijoo asked, with a sense of urgency in his voice. He felt like he was probably the only one that would understand, “And let me talk to him.”

Chapter Text

Nicholas was glad he decided at the last minute to wear a jacket, since it was a particularly chilly September night. There was a cold drizzle of rain coming down, only adding to the bitter feeling deep within his bones. He buried his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker, and watched as the tiny clouds of his breath dissipated into the crisp night air.

Nicholas saw the bright neon lights of the Tsukiyo Casino, reflecting off the wet pavement of the street before him. So this is where Euijoo spent his time with his “uncle” Isamu. He didn’t see the appeal, as he watched people enter and exit the building, looking either elated or dismayed by their evening spent at the casino.

Nicholas jogged across the street, before darting into the alleyway between the casino and the large hotel next to it. There were garbage bins filling the passage, reeking of discarded food from the hotel’s restaurant next door. A few of the restaurant cooks were on their break, chatting and smoking cigarettes. They luckily paid no mind to Nicholas, seemingly uninterested in why he was exploring the back alleyway of their establishment.

Nicholas wasn’t exactly sure what he was expecting to find at the drop location that night. He thought perhaps a group of gangsters, loitering around the Tsukiyo Casino as they waited for Euijoo to arrive. Instead, he caught sight of a man, who looked to be about his age, phone in hand as he glanced around aimlessly.

Nicholas stayed out of sight, hiding behind the casino’s garbage bins, as he watched the man’s movements closely. He didn’t look like a stereotypical criminal. He wore a grey oversized sweatshirt, jeans and black tennis shoes. If anything, he looked like a standard, run of the mill college student. Not at all suspicious. Nicholas looked at the large black duffel bag that sat on the ground next to him. What could he possibly be lugging around in there? Money? Guns? Drugs?

Nicholas saw the man hold his phone up to his ear, and felt his stomach drop. Shit. Was he calling Euijoo?

“Hey,” Nicholas called, finally stepping out of his hiding spot, “You’re here for Euijoo, right?”

The man whipped his gaze towards him, looking startled, “Who are you?”

Nicholas walked over to him casually, his hands still buried in his windbreaker pockets. He tried not to make any sudden movements. He needed to see what was in that duffel bag, and this man looked like he was about to bolt, “Euijoo sent me.”

“He’s not supposed to do that,” The man said, glancing over his shoulder anxiously, “Where is he?”

He picked up the duffel bag, and Nicholas noticed the muscles in his arms flex as they adjusted to the weight. Whatever was in the bag, it must’ve been heavy.

“Well, you guys beat the shit out of him last night,” Nicholas stated, “So he can’t exactly walk right now.”

“W-What?” The man stuttered. Unless he was a spectacular actor, he seemed genuinely confused.

So was this guy not involved in what happened to Euijoo? Nicholas sort of felt bad for him, he seemed clueless and naive. It was unfortunate on his part that he wasn’t going to let him out of here, without knowing what was in the bag.

Nicholas was standing a foot apart from him now, observing his every movement, “So, what’s in the bag?”

The man’s eyes grew wide, and he had a split second to react before Nicholas pounced on him. He let out a cry as Nicholas hurdled a kick to his left knee, grasping it tightly as he fell into a heap on the ground.

“What the fuck!” He cursed, as he rolled back and forth, clutching his knee in pain.

“Sorry,” Nicholas apologized, as he picked the man’s discarded phone and duffel bag up off the pavement, “No hard feelings, right?”

He then sprinted around the corner, leaving the back alleyway of the casino in the same way he came. He dashed down the empty street, phone and duffel bag in hand. He threw the phone into one of the sewer grates nearby, before continuing his hurried escape.

“Nico!” He heard a familiar voice call his name. He glanced over his shoulder, and was surprised to see Fuma walking towards him.

“Fuma? What are you doing here?”

“Euijoo sent me, he’s worried sick about you,” Fuma replied.

Nicholas grimaced. That man’s attempt to contact Euijoo earlier must’ve tipped him off. He should’ve known that he would easily put the pieces together on where he had gone.

“What’s in there?” Fuma asked, pointing at the duffel bag he was holding.

“I don’t know,” Nicholas replied, glancing down at the bag held tightly in his grasp, “Want to find out?”

They ended up at a vacant park a few blocks away from the casino. Nicholas collapsed onto one of the park benches with a sigh, dropping the heavy duffel bag at his feet. Fuma stood over him, staring at it curiously.

“So, whatever is in there...Holds the answers to whatever mystery Byun Euijoo is wrapped up in,” Fuma stated.

“Yep,” Nicholas replied.

“Are you sure you want to find out?” Fuma asked him.

Nicholas didn’t respond, thinking this over. Did he want to know? He had theorized for months on what Euijoo could possibly be keeping a secret from him. But now, as he held the answers right in front of him, all he felt was apprehension. Euijoo clearly didn’t want him to know this side of him. Maybe it wasn’t Nicholas’ decision on whether or not he showed it to him.

Nicholas sighed, before standing up and dusting off his pants, “Let’s go home.”

Fuma nodded, with a small smile, “Sounds good to me.”

-

Nicholas and Fuma began walking the short distance from the train station back to his apartment. The streets were practically deserted this late at night, so he was surprised to see a group of five older men standing outside one of the convenience stores, smoking cigarettes and chatting.

They seemed to quiet down as he and Fuma walked past them. Nicholas could hear a thousand different alarm bells going off inside his head. He glanced over at Fuma, who was looking straight back at him. He shared the same wary look on his face.

“Hey,” One of the men called out to them.

They ignored them, as they continued to walk towards Nicholas’ apartment. He could hear the group shuffling behind them, as they began following them down the sidewalk.

Nicholas had walked only five more paces before he felt someone try to grab the duffel bag he held. He swung around, propelling his leg forward with a roundhouse kick, hitting one of the men straight in the jaw.

“Shit!” A few of the men cursed, as the man he kicked fell onto the pavement.

“Fuma, take the duffel bag and head back to my apartment,” Nicholas said, holding the bag out to him.

“Nico, there’s no way in hell I’m leaving you alone with these guys,” Fuma scoffed, “You’ll get yourself killed.”

Nicholas realized there was no use arguing with him right now. Fuma prepped his body for a fight, cracking his knuckles and neck. The opposing men positioned themselves into a defensive stance, readying themselves for an oncoming attack. Nicholas tossed the duffel bag a few feet behind him, before raising his fists inline with his jaw.

The man he roundhouse kicked stood up and spit blood onto the pavement, glowering at him, “So you’re the bigshot at the fightclub, huh? Isamu told me all about you.”

Isamu. Did he mean Euijoo’s “uncle” Isamu? Nicholas figured that was a lie. He was disappointed that he was right.

“Just hand over the bag, and we’ll let you guys go,” The man said, pointing at the bag behind him.

Nicholas didn’t respond, just shifting in place as he held steady.

“Nico, maybe we should just hand it over,” Fuma hissed at him.

“Hell no,” Nicholas snapped, “They aren’t getting shit from me. Look at their knuckles, Fuma. I bet they’re the same assholes who beat up Euijoo.”

Nicholas saw Fuma look down, seeing the bloodied knuckles of their opponents, and let out a deep sigh, “Well, shit.”

It took a split second for Nicholas to process Fuma charging forward and punching one of the opposing men square in the face. The mere force of his blow knocked the man to the ground. He groaned, cursing as he held his now broken nose, blood dripping from his palms onto the pavement.

“Who the fuck is this guy?” Another man asked the others, but they simply shook their heads in disbelief.

Two of the men lunged at Fuma, but he dodged their advances with ease. He grabbed one of the attacking men by his scalp, and flung him effortlessly into the other, both of them falling to the ground. Nicholas had seen Fuma in action during boxing matches before, but he’d never seen him fight like this. The aura he emitted was powerful and intimidating.

One of the men charged at Nicholas, and he caught a glimpse of light in his right hand. He dodged, getting a clear view of the blade grasped tightly within it. This certainly was a predicament that Nicholas wasn’t accustomed to. He’d never been in a knife fight before.

The guy swung the knife at him, narrowly avoiding his face by mere inches. Nicholas took a few steps backward, holding up his arms reflexively in self defense, as the man slashed at him again. He could feel the sharp blade slice at his skin through his windbreaker, a searing pain radiating from the fresh wounds. He could feel warm blood dampen his sleeves, but luckily, he just grazed the skin. The cuts appeared superficial.

Fuma grabbed the man by the back of his collar, pulling him away from Nicholas as he threw him swiftly to the ground.

“Are you alright?” Fuma asked him.

Nicholas opened his mouth to respond, but the man with the knife was already back on his feet, driving his blade into Fuma’s left shoulderblade. Fuma cried out, grasping his shoulder in pain.

All Nicholas could see was red dampening his vision, as he pounced on the man who stabbed Fuma. He was on top of the man, his mind clouded with rage, as he pinned him to the ground. The man leaned up and defiantly spit in his face, provoking him even more. Nicholas began punching him in the face. All he could see was a blurry motion picture of his fist coming into contact with the man’s face, again and again.

“Nico, Nico stop,” He heard Fuma call him, bringing him back to earth, “We have to go, I think someone called the cops.”

Nicholas looked up, his vision refocusing and the ringing in his ears dulling. He noticed that it was just the three of them now. The other men probably retreated during the chaos. He could definitely hear sirens.

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, come on,” Fuma replied, desperately tugging at his jacket to pull him off the man pinned under him.

As Nicholas stood up, regaining his bearings, he looked down. All he could see was a bloodied pulp of a man rolling onto his side, coughing up blood onto the slick pavement.

“Motherfucker,” He spit, and Nicholas nearly jumped on him again.

“Nico, enough,” Fuma hissed, grabbing his arm tightly as he pulled him away from the scene, “We have to go.”

Nicholas noticed that Fuma was gripping his wounded shoulder, blood oozing between his fingers. He must’ve pulled the blade out at some point during Nicholas’ episode.

As they began to walk over to the duffel bag left on the pavement, a police cruiser pulled up to the scene, sirens ablazing.

Fuma hopelessly looked towards the cruiser and then to Nicholas, before crying out, “Nico, just go! I’ll be fine.”

“What? No—“

“Just go! I feel like whatever they find in that bag will be more trouble than it’s worth, so just go!” He pleaded.

Nicholas hesitated for a second, before swiftly hauling the heavy bag up off the ground and sprinting in the direction of his apartment. He heard one of the cops shout as they started running after him. Shit.

Nicholas’ calves burned as he ran, dodging into alleyways and around corners. He climbed up a metal fence between two buildings, throwing the bag over first before pushing himself up and over. He could hear the cop shout again as he darted around the corner on the other side. His lungs burned as he gasped for air, but he couldn’t stop now.

He ran down the deserted street towards his apartment building, seemingly having outran the cop pursuing him. He didn’t halt for even a second until he arrived at his door, panting and heaving as he typed the numeric code into the keypad. Sweat ran down his face and into his eyes. He rubbed away the sweat clinging to his forehead with the back of his hand, before opening the door.

Maki and Euijoo were in his apartment, sitting on the couch as they watched something on TV. The other guests must’ve gone home. Nicholas kicked off his shoes, and threw the duffel bag onto the floor. He could feel Euijoo and Maki’s eyes set on him, boring holes into his back.

“Nico, are you okay?” Maki asked, walking over to him cautiously.

Nicholas glanced over at him, and saw the concerned look on his face. He imagined he must’ve looked worse for wear right now, considering his fighting wounds and the impromptu half marathon across the city.

“Yeah, I—“ He began, before he caught a glimpse of Euijoo.

Nicholas felt his heart stop hard in his chest, when he saw Euijoo’s distraught face. He was sobbing, a mixture of relief and anger washing over his features as he hobbled over to him.

“Nicholas. Wang. You. Fucking. Asshole.” He cried, punching him hard on the chest with each syllable. He then buried his tearstroked face into the crook of his neck, wrapping his good arm around him as he pulled him into a hug.

Nicholas glanced over at Maki, who looked entirely at a loss of how to deal with the complicated situation laid out before him.

“I think I’m gonna go now,” He mouthed, pointing towards the door.

Nicholas nodded, before muttering, “Thank you, Maki.”

Maki forced an awkward, tense smile onto his face and nodded politely. He put on his shoes and departed with a tiny wave, shutting the door softly behind him. Nicholas figured that he would probably deny any favor he asked of him from this point forward. Honestly, he couldn’t blame him.

“Juju,” Nicholas muttered into the man’s hair, placing a gentle kiss on top of his head, “I’m sorry, okay?”

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Euijoo sniffed, pulling away from him. He seemed to just be angry now, “You could’ve got hurt! You could’ve died!”

“Maybe I would’ve known that if you told me what the actual fuck was going on for once,” Nicholas snapped, “Whatever is in that bag must be really fucking important, considering Fuma and I got jumped.”

“Wait, you—what?” Euijoo asked, his irate demeanor faltering as he began checking Nicholas for injuries, “Are you alright? Where’s Fuma?”

“I’m fine, Euijoo, really. You should see the other guy,” Nicholas reassured him, “I think Fuma got arrested though, since the cops showed up. Yudai’s gonna fucking kill me.”

Euijoo groaned, limping back over to the couch and taking a seat. He rubbed a hand over his face defeatedly, before glancing over at Nicholas, “This isn’t some game, Nico. You really could’ve gotten hurt, and if you did…I’d—“

“Trust me, I know that now,” Nicholas told him, walking over and sitting next to him, “I decided not to look in the bag. Your secret’s safe.”

“Oh, what a fucking saint,” Euijoo remarked, sarcastically, “You go behind my back and almost get yourself killed, but you want me to be happy that you didn’t overstep even more than you already have.”

“I already said that I only wanted to know what was going on with you, Euijoo. I mean look at you!” Nicholas cried, “You look like you got run over by a truck, and I’m supposed to just sit back and do nothing about it?”

Euijoo stared at him, before he stood up and shuffled over to the bag on the ground. He glanced over at Nicholas as he leaned over and unzipped it, showing him the contents. He saw thick, white blocks wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Cocaine.

“Happy?” Euijoo asked him, before grimacing and stumbling back over to the couch.

Nicholas walked over, leaning down and digging through the bag's contents. Blocks of cocaine were stacked neatly together like bricks, filling the duffel bag entirely. Thank god he ran when he did. There would be no reasonable explanation for this if he got caught by the cops.

“You’re a drug dealer?” Nicholas asked, glancing over at Euijoo.

“Not by choice,” Euijoo muttered.

“And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Euijoo sighed, “It’s complicated.”

“Of course it is,” Nicholas groaned, “Isn’t everything with you?”

Euijoo didn’t respond, as he glanced down at his lap dejectedly. Nicholas felt regret cloud his mind.

“Euijoo, I didn’t mean—“

“It’s fine,” Euijoo replied, “I’ll tell you what it means. I’ll tell you everything.”

And he did. He finally opened the Pandora's box of secrets he’d been keeping for all this time. Euijoo finally told Nicholas about his father’s substance abuse and gambling addiction, and how he was indebted to the Ryuji Gang. He told him about moving to Japan after his father died, in an attempt to repay the debt and protect his family. He told him about being a drug mule and how he laundered money at the Tsukiyo Casino. He told him how every aspect of his life was wrapped up in the gang, his current living expenses and arrangements, everything. Nicholas absorbed every detail with rapt interest, his composure quiet and attentive.

“That’s why I wanted to fight at the club, to earn some extra money to put towards the debt but…” Euijoo muttered, before gesturing towards his beat up face, “This is what it resulted in, after they found out.”

“Jesus, Euijoo…” Nicholas whispered softly.

“They want me to continue to fight in the club,” He explained, “But none of what I earn from this point forward will be put towards my father’s debt.”

“That isn’t fair,” Nicholas protested, “They can’t do that, they—“

“But they can, Nico. They own me, they can do whatever they want.”

“No, no…We have to go to the police or something. We have to report them,” Nicholas pleaded with Euijoo, grabbing his hand gently, “We can’t let them keep doing this.”

“Even if we reported them it wouldn’t change a thing,” Euijoo stated, “They are so wrapped up in everything, they have ties to the police in nearly every district.”

“This is…” Nicholas began, “A lot to process.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Euijoo chuckled softly.

They sat in silence for a while, as Nicholas chewed at the skin around his nails. He was deep in thought, staring at an invisible spot on the floor.

It was a lot of new information to consume, to say the least. Nicholas, however, couldn’t help but feel unsurprised by all of it. He knew Euijoo must’ve been wrapped up in some sort of misconduct. He just didn’t expect that he would practically be a slave to it, instead of doing it out of his own volition. He supposed it did make sense, considering how out of character it all seemed. Purehearted, earnest Byun Euijoo, was a drug dealer. It sounded unbelievable.

He heard Euijoo shuffling next to him, as he fidgeted anxiously.

“I would completely understand if you want nothing to do with me after telling you this,” Euijoo muttered, “I mean you knowing me is putting you at risk—“

“Euijoo,” Nicholas huffed, holding up a hand to stop him, “Enough with that bullshit, I’m not gonna drop you over this. I put myself at risk fighting in the club all the time.”

“Yeah, but—“ Euijoo hesitated, “If anything happened to you because of me…I’d never forgive myself.”

“Hey, don’t worry about me, okay?” Nicholas reassured him, “I can take care of myself just fine. You clearly have bigger things to worry about.”

“But—“ Euijoo began. Nicholas leaned forward and kissed him, before he could say another word.

“I’ll be fine,” He whispered, pulling away slowly, “Trust me.”

🍓🍊

Euijoo waited anxiously for any sort of communication on his burner phone, but the following day was met with complete radio silence. He was filled to the brim with unease, knowing that the Ryuji Gang probably felt slighted by their exchange with Nicholas and Fuma. So why weren’t they contacting him? What was going on?

He practically begged Nicholas to stay home with him, worried that the gang would be keeping an eye out for him. Luckily, it didn’t take much convincing. Nicholas easily complied, simply pressing a kiss to his temple and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. That’s how they spent their morning, watching movies and cuddling.

Yudai showed up that afternoon to remove Euijoo’s stitches. He was still wearing his paramedic uniform. Euijoo assumed he must’ve just gotten off his shift. He disregarded Nicholas as he entered, shooting him an icy glare, before setting up his medical supplies in the living room.

Yudai frowned when he saw Euijoo’s increasingly swollen ankle, scolding him, “From this point forward you’re committed to bedrest, no more walking on that ankle.”

Euijoo nodded, as Yudai pulled out his pair of surgical scissors. He worked on his scalp, removing each stitch with precision. The tension in the room was palpable, as Yudai seemed to physically emanate his vexation.

“Where’s Fuma?” Nicholas asked, breaking the silence.

“He’s training some clients right now,” Yudai replied, “I didn’t tell him I was coming here.”

“Oh,” Nicholas frowned, “Why not?”

Euijoo wondered if he was purposely playing dumb. It was quite obvious that Yudai was pissed. Steam was practically rolling off of him.

He sighed, “Can we talk? Alone?”

“Uh…Yeah, sure,” Nicholas nodded, gesturing towards his bedroom.

“Sorry, Euijoo,” Yudai apologized, “I’ll be right back.”

“Sure,” Euijoo muttered, watching as he followed Nicholas into his bedroom.

The bedroom was, albeit, a thin veil of privacy. Even though their voices were muffled by the door, Euijoo could still hear everything they were saying. He tried his best not to eavesdrop, but it was hard not to since Yudai was shouting at Nicholas.

“—Are you crazy? Street fighting? How could you be so careless!” Euijoo heard Yudai cry, “You put not only your own life at risk, but also Fuma’s.”

“I told him to leave, but you know Fuma as well as I do,” Euijoo heard Nicholas reply, “He never backs down from a fight.”

“That’s ridiculous, Nicholas, and you know it. You both should have left at the first sign of danger,” Yudai huffed, “Fuma ended up getting stabbed and arrested! We had to pay 500,000 yen in fees for aggravated assault! And you don’t even seem to care!”

Nicholas' voice picked up, as he began to lose his cool, “You don’t think I care? I feel horrible about it! But he told me to leave, and I listened. If you knew what was going on, you’d understand why. I can pay you back for the fee.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yudai replied, “None of that matters. If you keep seeing Euijoo, I don’t want him training you anymore. You might’ve agreed to get involved in whatever shit he’s in, but Fuma didn’t.”

“Yudai—“ Nicholas began.

“There’s no use arguing with me on this, Nico,” Yudai interrupted him, “I really think you should rethink your priorities, and who your real friends are.”

Euijoo was taken aback. He knew where Yudai was coming from, but it felt unfair on his part. He didn’t know the full implications of what was going on. How could he just write him off so easily like that?

It was just a blatant reminder that he wasn’t a part of their inner circle. He was an outsider, a threat to their family unit. If he was in Yudai’s situation, if it was Nicholas instead of Fuma, he guessed that he would react the same way. He felt an overwhelming guilt claw at his chest. He was the one fucking everything up for everyone. He was the problem.

“Sorry about that,” Yudai said, as he and Nicholas reentered the living room. He tried to keep a cool composure, but Euijoo could see he was still upset, “I removed your stitches, the wound looks like it's healing well. Just keep off that ankle, okay? I’m gonna head out now.”

“Okay,” Euijoo nodded.

Yudai forced a smile, collecting his things before departing without another word. After he left, Nicholas slumped down next to Euijoo on the couch.

“How much did you hear?” He asked.

“Uh…” Euijoo hesitated.

“So, all of it, I’m guessing,” Nicholas sighed, running a hand through his hair, “Just forget everything he said, okay? He’s just pissed right now. He’ll cool off eventually.”

Euijoo nodded, his hands fidgeting in his lap, contemplating.

“Euijoo,” Nicholas spoke again, before poking him right in the middle of his forehead, “Stop it. I know you’re overthinking right now.”

“I’m not,” He lied, his face twisting in frustration, “I just—What if he’s right?”

“What do you mean?” Nicholas asked, “You mean Yudai?”

“Yeah, I just think—maybe things would be better for you…” Euijoo began, “…If we stopped seeing each other.”

“Oh.” Nicholas replied, dejectedly, “Are you seriously breaking up with me right now?”

“I mean we never really were—“

“Don’t even fucking say it.”

“Together…”

“I can’t fucking believe this,” Nicholas scoffed. He shot up onto his feet, pacing back and forth as he ran his fingers through his hair, “After everything—every single fucking thing we’ve been through, you want to stop seeing each other?”

“I just think you’d be safer, Nico,” Euijoo said, “The Ryuji Gang would leave you alone. You could keep training with Fuma and go back to your regular life—“

“But do you want that, Euijoo?” Nicholas asked him, “Do you want to stop seeing each other? What do you want?”

“I…” He hesitated. But this uncertainty seemed to answer everything for him.

Euijoo let out a startled gasp as Nicholas climbed onto his lap, straddling him, “Stop it, Euijoo. Stop trying to protect me. Stop fucking torturing yourself. Take what you want.”

“I can’t—“ He began, but Nicholas grabbed his chin, tilting his head back slowly as he latched his mouth onto his jugular, biting down, “Fuck.”

“Does it hurt?” Nicholas asked, pulling away, “Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” Euijoo replied, swallowing hard, “Keep going.”

Nicholas nodded, before gently biting down again and running his tongue along the vein in his neck. He was especially gentle with him, due to the delicate state Euijoo’s body was currently in.

Euijoo, however, liked the dull pain of Nicholas’ teeth on his neck, and his thumb pressed hard into the pulse point under his jaw. He could feel his cock hardening in his sweats, and fidgeted uncomfortably for any sort of purchase. Nicholas seemed to notice this, and sat up on his knees so Euijoo couldn’t rub himself against him.

“What are you—“ He almost whined, as Nicholas leaned over to his right ear.

“Not yet,” He whispered, before biting down on his earlobe and tugging gently.

Euijoo moaned, surprising even himself that he liked the sensation. He idly reached down with his arm not wrapped in a sling, eager to touch himself, before Nicholas slapped his hand away.

“Patience, Juju,” He coyly chided.

Nicholas then ran a hand slowly under Euijoo’s shirt, scratching a fingernail over one of his nipples. He pinched down, and Euijoo let out a moan. Nicholas swallowed it up eagerly, slotting their mouths together. He licked into his open mouth hungrily, before crawling off his lap. Euijoo whined as Nicholas pulled away from him.

“Shhh,” Nicholas hushed him, kneeling in front of him and diligently tugging at his waistband, “Can I make you feel good?”

Euijoo nodded, lifting his hips slightly so Nicholas could easily pull down his sweats and underwear. As soon as he was freed, his hardened cock hit his stomach. Nicholas wrapped a hand around him, glancing up at Euijoo before he leaned down and filled his mouth with him.

The wetness and warmth felt overstimulating at first. They’d only ever done hand stuff thus far, never going so far as oral. It’d been a while since Euijoo got sucked off like this, and those times never felt this good. Nicholas was really good at this. He threw his head back and moaned, as he reached down and fisted a hand in his hair.

“Nico…” He panted.

Nicholas' head bobbed up and down eagerly, swallowing him up. His hand was pumping him at the base where he couldn’t reach. His teeth grated against him slightly, the roughness and rawness of it driving Euijoo crazy. He was trying his best not to thrust up into Nicholas’ mouth, but he seemed willing to take more of him. He was tightly grasping Euijoo’s thigh, digging his nails into the tender skin there. Euijoo thrusted his hips up once, experimentally. He moaned as his cock hit the back of Nicholas’ throat, making him gag around him.

“I’m sorry, is that too much?” He asked, brushing Nicholas’ bangs out of his face.

Nicholas pulled off him, looking at Euijoo as he shook his head, “No, it’s fine.”

His face was flushed, his pupils blown, his lips swollen and pink. His hair was mussed from Euijoo dragging his fingers through it. He looked ethereal and unrestrained. Euijoo reached forward and caressed his cheek gently.

“God, you’re beautiful,” He muttered, and Nicholas chuckled.

“Don’t get sentimental on me now, Juju,” He teased, before taking him back into his warm mouth.

He swallowed him up again eagerly, bobbing his head up and down quicker now. His tongue dragged across the shaft, before swirling around the head. Euijoo’s cock hit the back of Nicholas’ throat again and again, making him pant and moan with each thrust. He could feel that familiar heat, that overwhelming ache in the pit of his stomach.

“Nico, I—I’m gonna come,” He warned, tugging at his hair softly. But Nicholas didn’t move, continuing to suck him off.

Euijoo felt his cock hit the back of Nicholas’ throat once more, before he felt something snap within him. He moaned, thrusting his hips up one last time, as his load filled Nicholas’ mouth. Nicholas swallowed it all, continuing to suck him off to the point of overstimulation.

“I—“ Euijoo panted, pulling at Nicholas desperately.

He finally showed some mercy, pulling off his cock. He was panting heavily, his lips swollen and wet. Euijoo tugged at him urgently, pulling him onto his lap. As Nicholas crawled back into his lap, he kissed him hungrily. Euijoo could taste himself on his tongue, the saltiness indistinguishable. He cradled Nicholas’ face with his good hand, running his thumb across his cheek.

Maybe Nicholas was right. Maybe he should stop torturing himself. Maybe he should just reach out and take what he wants for once in his miserable life.

“I love you,” Euijoo muttered against Nicholas’ lips.

Nicholas pulled away, grinning, “Juju…I suck you off once and now you’re confessing your love for me?”

Euijoo groaned, placing his hand over his blushing face, embarrassed, “Yeah, I guess—Ah.”

“Hey,” Nicholas whined, pulling his hand away, “I love you too, okay?”

Euijoo grinned, before pulling him back into a deep, passionate kiss.

“I love you so much.”